Fossil Cabin at Como Bluff - Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Posted by: 
Tom.dog
N 41° 51.902 W 106° 04.409
13T E 410908 N 4635348
The Fossil Cabin was built in 1932; its exterior walls are built entirely with fossilized dinosaur bones from the nearby Como Bluff fossil bed.
Waymark Code: WM18JM6
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2023
Views: 8
Como Bluff is a world-renowned dinosaur fossil bed and was once a central location of the Bone Wars of the late 1800s. Many well-preserved dinosaur, mammal, turtle, and crocodilian fossils have been discovered at the bluff. All of these fossils have been found in the Morrison Formation (Jurassic) that is exposed along the northern flank of the bluff.
The Fossil Cabin was built by Thomas Boylan out of broken pieces of fossilized dinosaur bones that he collected from Como Bluff. It is reported to have been built with 5,796 bones and is said to weigh 102,166 pounds. The cabin has served as a museum for most of its history; I had the good fortune of visiting the museum many times during the 2000s when I was younger, and credit it as a major reason for my choice to study geology later in life. The museum once contained many impressive dinosaur bone fossils, among other items of paleontological interest (unfortunately, it has been reported that vandals have made off with many of the museum pieces since its closure in 2011). The cabin was purchased by the town of Medicine Bow after its closure. For several years, work has been done to prepare the Fossil Cabin to be moved just down the highway to the west to the Medicine Bow Museum. It seems that every summer here lately there is talk of moving the cabin, but no movement has taken place to date.
A large pullout along the north side of the highway is maintained by the Wyoming Department of Transportation and allows visitors to get an up-close look at the Fossil Cabin from behind a fence that surrounds the building.
Additional information on the Fossil Cabin and Como Bluff, along with the Fossil Cabin's proposed move, can be found here:
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Visit Instructions:At least one good photo you have personally obtained and a brief story of your visit. Any additions or corrections to the information about the Waymark (for instance, have the hours open to the public changed) will be greatly appreciated.