Hi!
You should contact the Dallas Paleontological Society. There are several members that are knowledgeable about those specific footprints and they will give you more focused resources. Also, several of them are either connected with the University of Arlington natural history department or the Dallas Museum of Science and Natural History. I went to one of their meetings and they had a presentation about that exact topic. They do have a website with some contact info and if you just cannot get a hold of anybody, I'll see if I can assist you further. Good luck and keep us updated! Marlina F. Reese, Graduate Student, University of Oklahoma
 


Date: Sat, 9 Oct 2010 18:45:30 -0700
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Looking for fossilized Glen Rose dinosaur footprints
To: [log in to unmask]






Hello Museum Community,

 

If your museum is in possession of dinosaur footprints, if you are familiar with one that is, or if you’re just interested in the subject, continue reading…

 

I am a graduate student at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.  I am compiling a research project this semester and I’m trying to track down some fossilized dinosaur footprints that originated in the Paluxy River, near the town of Glen Rose, Somervell County, Texas.  My intention is to write an article on the subject.

 

For a little background, in 1938-40, R.T. Bird (working for Barnum Brown) of the National Museum of Natural History in New York excavated a trackway of dinosaur footprints from the Paluxy River near Glen Rose, Texas.  He constructed a world famous exhibit (still on display today!) featuring this trackway and a large brontosaur-like skeleton appearing to walk on it.  Another set of tracks were sent to the University of Texas at Austin and put on display.  This was big news in 1940 as the first and best full sets of sauropod (think brontosaurs) tracks to be discovered in the world, along with other theropod tracks right next to them.  It is a fascinating story.

 

However, possibly dozens of individual footprints were dug out by enterprising locals and sold to various private and professional collectors that came from very far away after the news got out.  Unfortunately, this was long ago and no records were kept of people to whom they sold footprints.  Only a couple of sources have mentioned vague clues of possible destinations to collectors in New York and Connecticut.  They could have made their way anywhere in the U.S., or even abroad.

 

I am trying hard to locate and document any of these footprints now.  If your institution has any footprints that might be from this location, I would really like to know how and when you received them.  Again, they would be from this location:

 

Paluxy River

Glen Rose, Texas

Somervell County, Texas

 

The time period would probably be anytime between 1900-1960, but private collectors could easily have donated them to museums well after that.

 

Thank you!  I appreciate any information people may have in helping with my investigation!  You may contact me off the listserv at [log in to unmask]

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