The Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) is a
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
located in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, United States. The museum shows exhibits of
natural history subjects, with an emphasis on Utah and the
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West, or Intermountain Region, is a geographic and geological region of the Western United States. It is located between the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada on the west ...
. The mission of the museum is to illuminate the natural world and the place of
humans
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
within it. A new building, named the Rio Tinto Center, opened in November 2011.
The museum is part of the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
and is located in the university's Research Park.
History
![George-Thomas-Building-Room-circa1950-then-in2009](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/George-Thomas-Building-Room-circa1950-then-in2009.jpg)
The museum was conceived in 1959, when the University of Utah faculty committee decided to consolidate natural history collections from around its campus. The museum was established as the Utah Museum of Natural History on the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
campus in 1963 by the
Utah State Legislature
The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term li ...
.
In 1969, the museum opened in the former
George Thomas Library and included specimens from the Deseret Museum, as well as from the Charles Nettleton Strevell Museum that was located in the old Lafayette School on South Temple Street from 1939 until 1947.
The paleontology collections acquired a very important amount of new collected specimens during the 1960s, particularly fossilized remains of
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
s. It all began when a young local paleontologist called
James Henry Madsen Jr. obtained his Master of Science in 1959 in the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
. The following year, as of 1960, Madsen was hired as an assistant for Professor
William Lee Stokes
William Lee Stokes (March 27, 1915, Black Hawk, Carbon County, Utah - December 12, 1994) was a geologist and paleontologist who is best known for his work at Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Emery County, Utah. William Stokes lived to be 79 a ...
of the
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
, who at that time performed the dauntless project to extensively dig the
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
Jurassic National Monument, at the site of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, well known for containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever found, is a paleontological site located near Cleveland, Utah, in the San Rafa ...
. Since the 1920s, it had been firmly established by geologists that this quarry is one of the most important paleontological sites ever found in the United States, and still in the early 1960s literally tens of thousands of disarticulated dinosaur bones were buried in the rock, awaiting to be excavated. Because the
bone bed
A bone bed is any geological stratum or deposit that contains bones of whatever kind. Inevitably, such deposits are sedimentary in nature. Not a formal term, it tends to be used more to describe especially dense collections such as Lagerstätte. ...
was so vast and contained a so huge quantity of fossilized bones (mainly from ''
Allosaurus fragilis
''Allosaurus'' () is a genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic epoch ( Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian). The name "''Allosaurus''" means "different lizard" alludi ...
''), it seemed obvious to Stokes and Madsen that it was literally impossible for a single unique institution to dig up a number of specimens being realistically representative of the overall total. To accomplish this task, or at least a reasonable part of it, Stokes and Madsen founded the "University of Utah Cooperative Dinosaur Project",
[James Henry Madsen Jr., ''Allosaurus fragilis: A Revised Osteology'', Bulletin 109, Utah Geological Survey (a division of Utah Department of Natural Resources), printed August 1976, reprinted 1993.] thanks to initial funds allowed by the University of Utah and its Department of Geology. The project worked for 16 years in close collaboration not only with museums and institutions within the US, but also with prestigious international museums and research centers. Since financial assistance was brought by all the institutions who had participated in the project, the Dinosaur Project granted them casts or even original composite specimens of the dinosaurs found in the quarry.
In the running time of the "Cooperative Dinosaur Project" (from 1960 to 1976), literally tons of fossilized bones were dug up from the quarry, numerous remains of species as famous as ''
Camarasaurus
''Camarasaurus'' ( ) was a genus of quadrupedal, herbivorous dinosaurs and is the most common North American sauropod fossil. Its fossil remains have been found in the Morrison Formation, dating to the Late Jurassic epoch (Kimmeridgian to Titho ...
'', ''
Camptosaurus
''Camptosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of plant-eating, beaked ornithischian dinosaurs of the Late Jurassic period of western North America and possibly also Europe. The name means 'flexible lizard' (Greek (') meaning 'bent' and (') meaning 'lizard') ...
'', ''
Ceratosaurus
''Ceratosaurus'' (from Ancient Greek, Greek κέρας/κέρατος, ' meaning "horn" and wikt:σαῦρος, σαῦρος ' meaning "lizard") was a carnivorous Theropoda, theropod dinosaur in the Late Jurassic Period (geology), period (Kim ...
'', ''
Stegosaurus
''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been foun ...
'', and, of course, ''
Allosaurus
''Allosaurus'' () is a genus of large carnosaurian theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 145 million years ago during the Late Jurassic epoch (Kimmeridgian to late Tithonian). The name "''Allosaurus''" means "different lizard" alluding to ...
'', among others (''Allosaurus'' is by far the most represented species, with 44-46 individuals found). In addition to these already known species, two new species were discovered and named: ''
Stokesosaurus
''Stokesosaurus'' (meaning "Stokes' lizard") is a genus of small (around in length), carnivorous early tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaurs from the late Jurassic period of Utah, United States.
History
From 1960 onwards Utah geologist William L ...
'' (in 1974); and ''
Marshosaurus
''Marshosaurus'' is a genus of medium-sized carnivorous theropod dinosaur, belonging to the Megalosauroidea, from the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation of Utah and possibly Colorado.
Description
''Marshosaurus'' was medium-sized for a thero ...
'' (in 1976); both of whose
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
s are preciously preserved in the Natural History Museum of Utah.
In 1976, the University of Utah stopped the "Cooperative Dinosaur Project". To continue financing his research, Madsen founded Dinolab, a company that cast and sold skeletons of dinosaurs to museums, institutions, or private buyers. Madsen died in 2009 and Dinolab disappeared in 2014, but thanks to the "University of Utah Cooperative Dinosaur Project" and Madsen's excavations in the
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
Jurassic National Monument, at the site of the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, well known for containing the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur fossils ever found, is a paleontological site located near Cleveland, Utah, in the San Rafa ...
back in the 1960s and 1970s, the Natural History Museum of Utah now is able to display the largest collection in the world of ''Allosaurus'' skeletons, among some additional dinosaur skeletal mounts belonging to other species.
In 1963, Dr.
Jesse D. Jennings, a professor and archaeologist, was appointed director of the museum. The "Utah Museum of Natural History" opened to the public in 1969. Jennings was the director for 10 years.
In 1973, Don Hague, the museum's curator and first paid employee became the director. Hague led the museum for nearly 20 years, retiring in 1992.
Dr. Sarah George was the director of the museum for 27 years, from 1992 to 2019. Dr. Jason Cryan has served as the fourth executive director of the museum since March 2020.
In 2011, the museum moved from the old George Thomas Library location at 1390 Presidents Circle into the Rio Tinto Center, in the University of Utah's Research Park 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City. The move also resulted in a change of name to the Natural History Museum of Utah.
The Rio Tinto Center is a building set on a campus in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. The building's highest point is a round structure on the back or east side which houses the Native Voices gallery. The architects for the building were
Ennead Architects
Ennead Architects LLP (/ˈenēˌad/) is a New York City-based architectural firm. The firm was founded in 1963 by James Polshek, who left the firm in 2005 when it was known as Polshek Partnership. The firm's partners renamed their practice in mid- ...
from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and GSBS of
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. Ralph Appelbaum Associates designed the exhibits.
Collections and research
The Natural History Museum of Utah has more than 1.6 million objects in its collection that are used for
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
and
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
. The museum's collections emphasize the natural history of Utah and are accessible to researchers from around the world. The majority of the collections are from public lands within the inter-mountain region of the United States.
Collections are used in studies on
geological
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Eart ...
,
biological
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary in ...
, and
cultural
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...
diversity, as well as the history of living systems and human cultures within the Utah region. The goal of the museum is to increase the collections while providing the widest possible access to that information.
The collection features one million objects related to
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
.
* Archaeological collections of approximately 750,000 objects
* Associated records from more than 3,800 sites
*
Ethnographic
Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...
collections including more than 2,000 objects
The
curator
A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...
of anthropology is Duncan Metcalfe, and the collections manager is Glenna Nielsen-Grimm.
The
paleontology
Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
collection includes 12,000 vertebrates, 4,000 invertebrates, and 7,000 plants.
The
entomology
Entomology () is the science, scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such ...
collection includes 140,000 specimens.
The collection related to
vertebrate zoology
The State Museum of Zoology (german: Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde) in Dresden is a natural history museum that houses 10,000–50,000 specimens, including skeletons and large insect collections. Many are types. The collection suffered war ...
includes 30,000 mammals, 20,000 birds, and 18,000 reptiles.
The
mineralogy
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...
collection includes 3,700 minerals.
The
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
collection includes 123,000 specimens.
The
malacology
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...
collection includes 25,000 specimens.
Permanent exhibitions
The museum has ten permanent exhibitions:
* Past Worlds
* Great Salt Lake
* Life
* Land
* First Peoples
* Gems and Minerals
* Native Voices
* Sky
* Our Backyard
* Utah Futures
The museum houses a special exhibition gallery with rotating special exhibitions.
Rotating exhibitions
Educational programs
The educational programs are organized by the Education & Community Engagement Department. Development of school programs is closely tied to the public school system's core curriculum. The museum's educational programs include:
* Self-Guided and Partner Field Trips: Students explore the museum in chaperoned groups.
* Junior Science Academy: Classes for fourth- and fifth-grade students tied to the core curriculum and held in the museum.
* Child and family programs: After-school, Saturday, and summer classes primarily for children in grades K-6, covering natural history and science.
* Adult programs: Workshops, lectures, and special events intended for an adult audience.
Outreach
Outreach efforts include:
* Museum on the Move: Museum educators give core-aligned classes on five topics in fourth-grade classrooms statewide.
* Teaching Toolboxes: Teachers are able to check boxes out for 2 weeks at a time.
* Youth Teaching Youth: A program with Glendale Middle School; youth from at-risk environments are trained to instruct elementary school classes using outreach kits. These middle school youth conduct all classroom outreach in the Salt Lake School District. As these students graduate to high school, they are offered internships in disciplines at the museum and throughout the university.
* Traveling Treasures
Role at the University of Utah
The museum is part of the
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
life of the University of Utah. The collections offer
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
opportunities and provide a learning
laboratory
A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...
for students. Museum programs expose students to many aspects of museum studies: educational outreach, exhibit design and fabrication development,
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
, and curriculum development.
The museum is a repository for collections that were accumulated by the university's departments of
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
,
Biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
, and
Geology
Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...
. The collections are held in trust for
faculty,
graduate students
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and struc ...
, and
undergraduates
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
who have access to the collections for
research
Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...
and teaching purposes.
In-service training is offered by the Utah Museum of Natural History Education Department; university credit can be earned with these courses, leading to
salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis.
...
lane changes for public school teachers. These courses are coordinated with the Academic Outreach and Continuing Education and the Department of Teaching and Learning. As the founder of the university's
Genetic Science Learning Center, the museum continues to partner in its teacher training program.
The museum meeting rooms are available for rental for on- and off-campus groups.
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{authority control
Dinosaur museums in the United States
Museums in Salt Lake City
Natural history museums in Utah
University museums in Utah
Buildings and structures at the University of Utah
1963 establishments in Utah
Native American museums in Utah
Paleontology in Utah
University and college buildings completed in 1963
Museums established in 1963