FIELD RESEARCH
Como Bluff
Como Bluff, in the high desert outside Medicine Bow, Wyoming, sits atop one of the richest fossil beds in the Morrison Formation. Jurassic bone hunters worked these badlands as far back as the 1870s, and the ground still gives up extraordinary material. When paleontologist Dr. Robert T. Bakker and the Dinomation team opened a new research dig here in the mid-1990s, Bosco joined the crew — spending summers from 1994 through 1997 working alongside professional preparators in the baking Wyoming heat.
The fieldwork was demanding. Mornings began with fine brush work on exposed bone, afternoons brought violent thunderstorms rolling across the syncline, and the rock matrix ranged from hard sandstone to treacherous smectitic clay. Among the most memorable moments of those years: helping excavate “Bertha,” a partially articulated Apatosaurus that contributed important material to the ongoing reassessment of Brontosaurus as a genus in its own right.
The photographs and data below document Bosco’s field participation across those four seasons — the dig crew, the specimens, the site conditions, and the science that came out of the ground at Como Bluff.
FIELD EXCAVATION DATA SHEET
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BASIC IDENTIFICATION
Dig name: Dinomation Como Bluff
Location (site / nearest town / state): Medicine Bow Wyoming
Country:US
Year(s) participated: 1994-1997
Season (month or time of year):Summer
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ORGANIZATION
Lead paleontologist(s):Dr. Robert T. Bakker
Institution / museum / university: Casper College
Public dig, research project, or private quarry: Research Project
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SPECIMEN INFORMATION
Primary species: Apatosaurus
Other species present (if known): Allosaurus
Type of material found:
•partial skeleton
•isolated bones
•bone bed
•trackways
•other:
Major elements recovered: Pubis
Condition of fossils:
•fragile
•weathered
•hard sandstone
•soft shale
•other: Smectitic clays
Geologic formation (if known):Jurassic
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SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
Why the specimen mattered:
•rare species
•unusually complete
•provided new information regarding Brontosaurus
•
Destination museum or collection (if known):
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PERSONAL PARTICIPATION
Your role:
•prospecting
•excavation
•mapping
•plaster jacketing
•stabilization
•preparation
•documentation/photos
•public education
Typical day activities (short phrases):
Tools used:
(pick, awl, brush, jacketing, consolidant, etc.)
Time spent at site:
(days/weeks) approx two weeks each summer
Memorable technical events:
Helping excavate the Bertha Apatosaurus specimens
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SITE ENVIRONMENT
Terrain:Incised Syncline
Rock type: Sedimentary
Weather conditions: Desert and thunderstorms
Camp / housing type: the Virginian Hotel
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Image Licensing & Research Inquiries
All photographs on this page are original field documentation images taken by Bob Boscarelli during the Dinomation Como Bluff research digs (Medicine Bow, Wyoming, 1994–1997), conducted under the direction of Dr. Robert T. Bakker. The images displayed here are web-optimized versions. High-resolution archival files are available for:
• Scientific publications — journal articles, monographs, conference proceedings
• Museum and exhibition use — interpretive panels, educational displays, traveling exhibitions
• Documentary and media production — film, television, editorial photography
• Educational materials — textbooks, curriculum resources, public programming
To inquire about licensing, reproduction rights, or research access to high-resolution files, use the Contact page. Please include the specific image(s), your intended use, and publication or production details.