In the spring of 1884, Joseph Tyrrell, leading his first expedition for the Geological Survey of Canada, came to what is now Alberta to study coal deposits. During his canoe trip down the Red Deer River into the badlands, he not only found great deposits of workable coal, he found the first dinosaur remains in the Drumheller area.

Leyden note: remember - the Cope-Marsh 'dino-war' was going on in Wyoming around 1878 +

The rich dinosaur beds eventually attracted a rush of palaeontologists eager to claim the finest specimens in the area for major natural history museums throughout the world. Palaeontologist Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History of New York led the way. Charles H. Sternberg and sons followed. They were hired by the Geological Survey of Canada to claim some fossils for this country Although the area was rich in dinosaur specimens with plenty for all, a friendly rivalry between Brown and Sternberg kept competition keen. The race for dinosaur fossils was coined the Great Canadian Dinosaur Rush.

The large bituminous coal beds attracted entrepreneurs like Jesse Gouge and Samuel Drumheller to start mining operations in and around Drumheller in 1911. At the peak of the coal industry in 1948, more than 30 mines operated in the Valley.

Whereas the value of coal declined with the development of oil and natural gas, the value of dinosaur fossils continues to have an impact on Drumheller. Now a century after Tyrrell's initial discovery, the Red Deer River Valley in Alberta is still recognized as one of the world's foremost collecting area for fossils.

While studying the exposed rock at Kneehill Creek, Tyrrell came face to face with a 70 million year old dinosaur skull, later christened Albertosaurus. It was the first example of the genus found anywhere in the world.

Now, over a century later, the museum built near that same site honours the discoverer's name.

Tyrrell was not an expert on dinosaurs. Very few people in Canada were at that time. The existence of the huge reptile had been established by British scientists only a few decades earlier. However, Tyrrell did realize that the skeleton should be preserved and had the fossil bones loaded onto a buckboard and taken to Fort Calgary. The load was so heavy that the wagon axle broke and several trips were required to cart the specimen out of the valley. The fossils were then shipped to Ottawa where the skull was placed in the collections of the Geological Survey of Canada and later transferred to the National Museum (now the Canadian Museum of Nature).

While on staff with the Geological Survey of Canada, Tyrrell explored Manitoba and traveled through vast tracts of uncharted land in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. His trip through the Barren Lands in 1893 was an outstanding feat. Great distances, bitterly cold weather, and limited food were cruel test for Tyrrell and his seven companions. Their arrival in Fort Churchill, several weeks late, was described in the newspapers as a miracle.

After working one season in the Klondike in 1898, and feeling the excitement of the Gold Rush and the restrictions of the Survey, he resigned in 1899 and moved to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, working as a mining consultant until 1906. His wife and daughter visited him there in the summer of 1903. He continued working as a mining consultant in Ottawa and Toronto until 1924 when he took over the management of the Kirkland Lake Gold Mines. In August 1957, Joseph Burr Tyrrell died at his home in Toronto Ontario, at the age of 98 years.
Leyden note: dr. leyden was 17 at the time - ready to start his freshman year in college.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granted the Royal appellation to the Tyrrell Museum in June 1990. Joseph Burr Tyrrell's children, grandchildren and relatives from around the world are occasional but welcomed visitors to this Museum.

This document was prepared by Wayne Hortensius, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the Royal Tyrrell Museum Cooperating Society. All information © 1995 Royal Tyrrell Museum. All Rights Reserved.
Updated: March 11, 1995

Leyden note -- found this on the Net in May 1995 -
6/22s/96