Family Day at the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum

Each year the Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price holds a Family Day. This year that will take place on May 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Prehistoric Museum creates understanding and appreciation of natural and cultural processes that formed the geologic, fossil and prehistoric human records found in eastern Utah. They do this through educational and interpretive programs based upon academic research, preservation programs, authentic exhibits, and the creative efforts of the staff and community.

Family Day features free admission and children’s activities from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. This will include making hand puppets of prehistoric animals and learning ancient crafts such as cordage, split twig figurines and slate drilling for jewelry making.

There is also a new exhibit in the special exhibitions gallery which is called Making Sense of Archaeology. In it are many 3D printed touch artifacts from Utah history.
In the Paleontology Hall there are two new pterosaurs hanging above one of the museums first dinosaur exhibits, the Allosaurus. There are also several exhibits that explore Jurassic dinosaur life stories including eggs, growth and injuries. In addition there is also a new crocodile discovery.

In the afternoon Kevin Jones and Layne Miller will talk about their new book “Standing on the Walls of Time: Ancient Art of Utah’s Cliffs and Canyons.”

At lunch time a Waffle Love food truck will be in the parking lot for those with an appetite.

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry to open for season

On April 18 one of the premiere sites for viewing the extraction of dinosaur fossils will open for the season in Emery County.

TheCleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry contains the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found. Over 12,000 bones (belonging to at least 74 individual dinosaurs) have been excavated at the quarry. Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry has helped paleontologists learn a great deal about the Jurassic period, yet the site presents at least as many mysteries as it helps to solve. Curiously, more than 75 percent of the bones come from carnivores, primarily Allosaurus fragilis. With more than 46 individual specimens of Allosaurus, scientists have been able to deduce much about how Allosaurus aged and compare individuals to better understand intraspecies diversity. Yet the sheer density of bones proposes many questions. How did the carcasses of so many animals end up in one place, and why are most of them meat-eaters? While many good hypotheses have been presented, they all still have major flaws – the mystery has yet to be solved.

The quarry is located in the San Rafael swell and the roads are dirt and gravel much of the way. However they are well maintained and any vehicle can pass over them. Be careful because they can be slippery when wet.

To get to the quarry from Price take Hwy 10 south to the Cleveland/Elmo turnoff and follow the signs. The last 12 miles are on a graded, unpaved road.

To get there from Huntington follow Hwy 10 north and take the Cleveland turnoff. In Cleveland, go south toward the San Rafael Swell and follow the signs. The last 13 miles are on graded, unpaved road.