Fossil Cabin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fossil Cabin, The
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The cabin in 2014.
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| Location | US 30, Medicine Bow, Wyoming |
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| Built | 1932 |
| Architect | Boylan, Thomas |
| NRHP reference No. | 08000289 |
| Added to NRHP | April 11, 2008 |
The Fossil Cabin is a super unique building in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, United States. It was built way back in 1932. What makes it special? It's made almost entirely out of dinosaur bones! Imagine that – a house built from ancient dinosaur remains.
A man named Thomas Boylan built this cabin. He used 5,796 dinosaur bones that he dug up nearby at a place called Como Bluff. He built it right next to his gas station along US 30. Thomas had been collecting these bones for 17 years. He originally wanted to make dinosaur statues, but instead, he built this amazing cabin!
Contents
Building a Dinosaur Bone Cabin
Thomas Boylan was born in Humboldt County, California, in 1863. He moved to Wyoming in 1892. For many years, he worked with farm animals. In 1908, he claimed land near Como Bluff. This area was famous for its many fossil discoveries.
Collecting the Bones
Thomas found tons of dinosaur bones there. He collected 5,796 bones in total. They weighed a massive 102,116 pounds (about 46,320 kg)! At first, he hoped to put together a full dinosaur skeleton. But he soon realized it was too hard. Many bones were from different animals.
Construction and Opening
So, Thomas and his son decided to build a cabin instead. They finished the 29-foot (8.8 m) by 19-foot (5.8 m) cabin in 1932. It was ready for tourists in 1933. Thomas called it the "Como Bluff Dinosaurium." He even had postcards printed to promote it.
Famous Cabin
In 1938, the Fossil Cabin became even more famous. It was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not. They called it "The World's Oldest Cabin." After this, Thomas gave it new names. He sometimes called it the "Creation Museum." He also called it "The Building that Used to Walk."
After Thomas Boylan
Thomas Boylan passed away in 1947. His wife, Grayce, kept the gas station and cabin open. She ran it until the 1960s. At that time, a new highway, Interstate 80, was built. This meant fewer cars drove past the cabin on Route 30.
Grayce sold the property in 1974. The cabin has been offered for sale since then. There was even a plan to move it to North Carolina.
The Fossil Cabin is a very important historical site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. This means it's recognized as a special place in American history.
