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Hell Creek, Montana - Summer 2001
A 14-person team travels to Hell Creek in southeastern Montana to spend three weeks
prospecting for dinosaur bones. They are staff members and volunteers from the small
Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL, led by Mike Henderson, Curator of Earth
Sciences. On the expedition's last day, the team discovers a toe bone and a
leg bone protruding from a dry creek bank. It looks as if a big dinosaur is imbedded in the
rocky soil. Excitement reigns, but the expedition's over. Plus, they don't have an excavation
permit. They camouflage their discovery with rocks and dirt and reluctantly return to the museum.
Burpee Museum, Rockford, IL - Fall 2001
Back at Burpee Museum, plans are afoot to launch a second expedition to Montana. The Museum staff
acquires the proper federal permits to excavate and remove all the bones. By analyzing the few bones
they were able to remove, they quickly realize that the toe and leg bones belong to a major meat-eating
predator. It's too big to be an ostrich-like Struthiomimus, and too small to be a full-grown
Tyrannosaurus rex. What is it? They dub the mysterious dinosaur "Jane," in honor of a museum
benefactor. They wait for winter to end.
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The bluff where Jane was uncovered is part
of the Hell Creek Formation. When Jane
was alive this area was a lush floodplain.
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Established in 1941, Burpee Museum of Natural
History is located in the heart of Rockford, IL.
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