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I spent some time meandering through South Dakota in May, taking in the sprawling forests and mountains. It’s truly a beautiful area of the country with plenty to see and do. ^ Pareidolia clearly in full effect. Since I was in SD, I knew I had to pay a visit to the BHI - and if you happen to like fossils, I think you’ll enjoy tagging along. The BHI is a private company which specializes in producing cast replicas for museums and the general public. Until October 2020, they played host to the T. rex “Stan,” who was auctioned off for $32 million; it has recently been revealed that Stan is to be in a new museum in the UAE (whether Stan is privately owned or technically in a public trust in the museum I do not know, for those who wonder. In any case, at least he'll be enjoyed by the public). Besides Stan, the BHI is well-known for many other significant specimens including T. rex “Sue,” and Triceratops “Lane” (now displayed in the Field Museum in Illinois, and The Houston Museum of Nature and Science in Texas, respectively). I was looking forward to the visit since I have a couple of their casts, and I’d gotten a glimpse of the place through TFF. It was a rainy morning in the small town of Hill City; even without the sign, I knew I was at the right place. I entered through the gift shop and was immediately struck by the density of the awesomeness before me. My jaw didn’t leave the floor until I somehow convinced myself that I needed to go home. The BHI museum is in a small, one-room building that is packed top-to-bottom front-to-back with fossils. The center is a tight weave of dinosaur skeletons while the walls are lined with lighted cabinets. I was evidently the first visitor that day so I was able to enjoy the space undisturbed for a while. I normally don’t take so many pictures since I usually get lost in experiencing a new place, but I knew I was going to write about it, so I reminded myself to capture more. Some of them should also serve as good reference images (for me at least). (If you’re concerned about “spoiling” the experience for yourself, best get out now since this is pretty thorough.) So sit back and scroll as we take a short walk around the room… Some trace fossils An impressive Tylosaurus proriger from the Niobrara formation of Kansas, complete with sclerotic bones. “Big Al 2,” an Allosaurus (replica) A young Torosaurus skull (I believe part of the frill has been reconstructed) Anzu, pachycephalosaurus, T. rex Edmontosaurus annectens ... and an oddly-postured young Triceratops Sue's skull and a neat sculpture of the dig Denversaurus skull and armor Tarbosaurus skull (replica) Triceratops Smile! Towards the back is a display on the Western Interior Seaway, complete with Baculites and Xiphactinus.
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