Dave's Down To Earth Rock Shop and Prehistoric Life Museum & the Burpee Museum

[snolly50]

A wonderful excursion and thanks for all the photos.

[Praefectus]

Nice trip report. Looks like you are hitting all the fossil spots in the area. I didn't know the Burpee museum had a large collection of Green River Fossils. Last time I was there I was maybe 5 and probably just ran past all those beauties. 

[Nimravis]

2 hours ago, Praefectus said:

Nice trip report. Looks like you are hitting all the fossil spots in the area. I didn't know the Burpee museum had a large collection of Green River Fossils. Last time I was there I was maybe 5 and probably just ran past all those beauties. 

It is a nice museum, last month they held PaleoFest over a weekend and had a whole line up of guest speakers- I was no able to make it.

[deutscheben]

Looks like a great day for you two! I haven't been to the Burpee Museum since I went to PaleoFest in 1999 or 2000 or so, I will have to swing by there again soon.  

[caldigger]

For some reason this is how I imagine Mike Sirmon's backyard to look like just a few short millennia ago.

@MSirmon

[MSirmon]

1 hour ago, caldigger said:

For some reason this is how I imagine Mike Sirmon's backyard to look like just a few short millennia ago.

@MSirmon

These are awesome! 

[Monica]

I've just transferred my photos to my computer, so here are a couple for you to enjoy:

 

The ammonite that I bought at Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop - I love how colourful it is, as well as the bonus bivalve in the righthand corner:

 

The gorgeous onychophoran that Ralph found and is now displayed in the basement museum at Dave's:

 

One of the Mazon Creek nodules that Ralph gifted to me - I think it might be my favourite since it's actually from the Mazon Creek:

 

My husband in front of the Field Museum (we visited on Sunday morning before we flew out that evening):

 

My favourite invertebrate at the Field Museum:

 

Sue, the infamous T. rex:

 

Thanks once again to Ralph @Nimravis for his hospitality and great company!

 

By the way - my husband heard that Star Wars Celebration events are going to be held in the same three cities (Anaheim, Orlando, and Chicago) on a rotating basis, so I'll probably be back to Chicago sooner rather than later - hooray!!!

[Troodon]

I always like your tour of the Rock shop thanks for taking the time to photograph everything..  He does have a lot of very cool items that I would not mind having in my collection.   Some of his dinosaur identifications are very questionable but thats okay enjoy seeing them.   Its a must visit place.   Have not visited the Burpee so enjoyed your tour.  Thanks again.

[HamptonsDoc]

Wow what a rock shop! Wish we had something like that near me! Any idea on the size of the egg labeled as Saltasaurus? They’re supposed to be 7” diameter and I get a sense that the one pictured is considerably smaller and may be something else. 

 

Thanks for the Tour!!

[Nimravis]

On 4/16/2019 at 8:29 AM, HamptonsDoc said:

Any idea on the size of the egg labeled as Saltasaurus? They’re supposed to be 7” diameter and I get a sense that the one pictured is considerably smaller and may be something else. 

I would guess that it is 6-7” in diameter, maybe a tad bigger.

 

[Wrangellian]

Wow... I've seen a lot of amazing stuff here on TFF but there is a lot in one place here. That Silurian land scorpion is a highlight for me - never seen that before!

That's your first rock shop, Monica? I guess it's all downhill from there! You could have started small and worked your way up.. the rest is going to look ho-hum by comparison.

[ricardo]

Thank you! This was a great photo tour!  

[gieserguy]

Wow, I just heard about this shop the other day! I really need to get over there since I’m just out in the western suburbs...

[Scipio]

Great to see Dave's Rock Shop is still going strong! I used to go there all the time when I was a kid and his Mazon Creek collection is one of the best outside the Field Museums. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

10 hours ago, gieserguy said:

Wow, I just heard about this shop the other day! I really need to get over there since I’m just out in the western suburbs...

Dude, you gotta go. I haven't been there since around '95, but back then you'd walk in and "ok, rock shop", and then you'd go downstairs and "OMG, museum". Lousy drive from anywhere except the next town over, but definitely worth the trip. Call before you go to be sure it's open. It used to be on a "ma and pa" schedule back in the day.

[gieserguy]

2 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Dude, you gotta go. I haven't been there since around '95, but back then you'd walk in and "ok, rock shop", and then you'd go downstairs and "OMG, museum". Lousy drive from anywhere except the next town over, but definitely worth the trip. Call before you go to be sure it's open. It used to be on a "ma and pa" schedule back in the day.

I really love the sound of that, and I love that it’s just a locally owned place. And yeah, the drive will probably be pretty lousy cuz I’m out near Wheaton, but I’m definitely heading there in the next couple weeks!

[Nimravis]

On 5/17/2019 at 6:23 PM, Mark Kmiecik said:

Call before you go to be sure it's open. It used to be on a "ma and pa" schedule back in the day.

Here are the hours-

 

[gieserguy]

I just visited today actually! Fanatastic set up in the basement!

[Mark Kmiecik]

15 hours ago, gieserguy said:

I just visited today actually! Fanatastic set up in the basement!

Awesome, ain't it?

[gieserguy]

7 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Awesome, ain't it?

It really is. Such a wide array of fossils from all the different time periods! And the Mazon Creek- wow!

[Mark Kmiecik]

2 minutes ago, gieserguy said:

It really is. Such a wide array of fossils from all the different time periods! And the Mazon Creek- wow!

Yeah, and the MC is nothing compared to what's at the Field Museum.

[Nimravis]

On 5/31/2019 at 4:19 PM, Mark Kmiecik said:

Yeah, and the MC is nothing compared to what's at the Field Museum.

Just my opinion,  but I disagree with this Mark, at least for what the Field has displayed. I know they have a ton of stuff that is in drawers and a lot came from older friends of mine that are now deceased, but I don't think anything that is open to the public compares to Dave's. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 4/16/2019 at 10:05 AM, Monica said:

 

The ammonite that I bought at Dave's Down to Earth Rock Shop - I love how colourful it is, as well as the bonus bivalve in the righthand corner.

My favourite invertebrate at the Field Museum:

Bit late seeing these photos, but thanks, Monica! 

I was born and grew up just a few kilometres from the North Somerset location where that beautiful Psiloceras came from and my first few fossils expeditions were to those beaches when I was only a few years old. Happy times.

That sponge is gorgeous, would have certainly have been amongst my favourites too. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

22 hours ago, Nimravis said:

Just my opinion,  but I disagree with this Mark, at least for what the Field has displayed. I know they have a ton of stuff that is in drawers and a lot came from older friends of mine that are now deceased, but I don't think anything that is open to the public compares to Dave's. 

I'm definitely talking about the specimens that are downstairs. What is actually displayed (or at least was years ago) is a joke for a museum only 60 miles from where they are found. It should be a central feature of the display and have every species found in the MC represented by at least one specimen. I don't know why they insist on hiding the thing that makes Illinois famous worldwide. I would be proud to show the world that I have the best collection around.

[Nimravis]

1 hour ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

I'm definitely talking about the specimens that are downstairs. What is actually displayed (or at least was years ago) is a joke for a museum only 60 miles from where they are found. It should be a central feature of the display and have every species found in the MC represented by at least one specimen. I don't know why they insist on hiding the thing that makes Illinois famous worldwide. I would be proud to show the world that I have the best collection around.

I totally agree with you, they are doing a better job now, but in the past they hardly had anything displayed.