Sue the Tyrannosaurus Rex Dinosaur at the Gray Fossil Site and Museum
Jan. 19 - April 27

In 1990, a group of workers from the Black Hills Institute was searching for fossils at the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, in western South Dakota near the city of Faith. By the end of the summer, the group had discovered other bones and was ready to leave when a tire on their truck went flat. The group, all but one, went to town to repair the truck, Sue Hendrickson decided to stay behind and explore the nearby cliffs while they were gone.

As she traveled along the base of a cliff, she saw some small pieces of bone. She looked above and saw larger bones protruding from the wall of the cliff. She returned to camp with some small pieces of the bones and reported the discovery. The team determined that the bones were from a Tyrannosaurus Rex by their distinctive contour and texture. Later, closer examination of the site showed many visible bones above the ground.

After the discovery there was a legal dispute about the ownership of the bones. The Black Hills Institute, the owner of the property and the US Department of Interior fought legal battles for ownership of the very valuable find. At one point the fossils were removed from the site by the FBI and National Guard while the dispute was being settled. Ultimately, the owner of the property where Sue was found was declared the owner. The bones were sold at auction for over $8 million to the Field Museum in Chicago (with the financial support of the California State University System, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Walt Disney Parks and others).

The exhibits that accompany "Sue" are bright, informative, in both English and Spanish and many are interactive. They are easily used by children and adults alike.

As always at the Gray Fossil Museum the guides and volunteers are very knowledgeable about the exhibits.

Sue, the Dinosaur, is like a rock star in the paleontology world. It is truly a great opportunity for those living and visiting East Tennessee, Western North Carolina,and Southwestern Virginia to see these fossilized remains of a 67 million year old dinosaur and to learn what is known and what is not known about the world "she" lived in.

Incidentally, it is not known whether this Tyrannosaurus Rex was male or female. It is named for the discoverer, Sue Hendrickson, and is, therefore, referred to as a "she".

The museum is open 7 days a week from 8:30 to 5. Their phone number is (423) 439-3659 and their e-mail address is info@grayfossilmuseum.com. While you are there we recommend you take the tour of museum, research center and outside sites.

Links to references in this article:

• Sue the Dinosaur at The Field Museum
• National Geographic article about Dinosaurs
• ETSU Gray Fossil Museum website
• Gray Fossil Museum Site
• Tennessee.gov website about the Gray Fossil Museum
• Scholastic.com article about Sue Hendrickson