The Tate Geological Museum was founded in 1980 through a gift from Marion and Inez Tate. It was originally designated as the Tate Earth Science Center and Mineralogical Museum. Because ‘geological' encompasses earth science, mineralogy and paleontology, the name was changed to the Tate Geological Museum in 2001.

Located on the Casper College campus, the museum is a great resource to the community. Many local schools and groups come to the museum to add to their students learning experience.

One of a minute number of geology and paleontology museums in Wyoming, the Tate houses a collection of over 3000 fossil and mineral specimens. Museum staff are always on hand to answer questions, help identify items visitors bring in, and make your visit to the museum an enjoyable experience. The Tate is certainly a great addition to anyone's list of 'must see sites' when traveling through Wyoming.

Melissa Connely
Tate Geological Museum Director
Geology Instructor

(307) 268-2017
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2017

Melissa Connely serves at the Tate Geological Museum Director. She is also an instructor in the Geology Department and the Kleinhammer Earth Science Chair. She is originally from Yakima Washington and has lived in Colorado, Michigan and Arkansas. She has been in Wyoming for almost 30 years and hopes to spend the rest of her life there.

Melissa started her education at Casper College receiving her associates in Elementary Education. She received her Bachelor's of Science degree in Geology from the University of Wyoming her Master's degree in Geology from Utah State University. As a geologist, her interests are in stratigraphy and sedimentation, paleontology and paleoecology. Her Master's Thesis is titled "The Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of the Morrison Formation at Como Bluff, Wyoming."

She is very interested in paleontology and has worked for 11 years at various dinosaur quarries and in a prep lab. She has worked with many Jurassic animals including Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Drinker, and other vertebrates.

In the summer, she works as a consultant for the petroleum industry. She does paleontological surveys for BLM lands and also works with other academic institutions.

Research is very important to her and she is often involved in many research projects. She encourages her students to participate and be a part of these projects.

Russell Hawley
Education Specialist

(307) 268-2447
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2447

Russell graduated from the University of Colorado in 1991 with a degree in fine art. His artwork has appeared in the America's Smithsonian anniversary traveling exhibition, numerous games, t-shirts and coffee mugs, and several issues of Prehistoric Times magazine. Aside from being the Tate Geological Museum's Educational Specialist, Russels also gives tours, writes articles for the museum newsletter, and produces illustrations for the museum displays.

J.P. Cavigelli
Field Operations Specialist

(307) 268-2447
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2447

J.P. is one of the men behind the scenes and in the field. He is the Field Operations Specialist as well as the Prep Lab Manager for the museum.

JP came to Casper two years ago from Laramie. IThere he worked off and on in paleontology for 14 years, doing field work as well as a two year post as the collections manager for the University of Wyoming Department of Geology and Geophysics. He has had the good fortune of having been invited to join international paleontological expeditions to Mongolia, Niger (twice) and North Dakota.

Dr. Kent Sundell
Tate Geological Museum Curator - Mammals
University of California at Santa Barbara
Geology Instructor

(307) 268-2498
(800) 442-2963 ext. 2498

Geology allows Dr. Sundell to be outdoors and apply a broad knowledge of science (chemistry, physics, biology, math) towards a better understanding of our Earth. From the historical and esoteric (paleontology, plate tectonics, paleomagnetism, climate change) to the practical application of finding a high paying job (oil, gas, and mineral exploration, geophysics, geochemistry, geohydrology, environmental geology), geology makes life fun and mentally stimulating.

Albert "Al" E. Allen
Tate Geological Museum Curator - Stratigraphy & Historical Geology
University of Oklahoma
Phillips University
Geology Instructor / Emeritus
(307) 268-3008
(800) 442-2963 ext. 3008

Volunteers often represent a large portion of any museums work force. Here at the Tate Geological Museum, we offer a variety of activities for those that are interested in taking part.

Many of our current volunteers assist with display construction, helping out in the gift shop, giving tours, and also working in the fossil preparation lab--just to name a few. Come on up and see if the Tate might be the place for you.

• Fill out your Tate Museum Application for Volunteer Service today!

All members to the Tate Museum receive the bi-monthly Tate Museum newsletter, Tate Museum Geological Times, and a membership gift card that is good for a 10% discount at the museum gift shop during their membership.

Members may sign-up on an individual or business basis.

• Click here to download a PDF of the Membership Application.

The Tate puts out a bi-monthly newsletter called the Tate Museum Geological Times.  It's chock full of news, information and fun facts. 

As a member of the Tate Museum you receive this newsletter for free.  Please see the Membership Information above for details on how to join the Tate Museum family.

Tate Museum Geological Times

• January/February 2009
• November/December 2008
• September/October 2008
• March/April 2008
• January/February 2008
• November/December 2007

June 5-7, 2009

See "Annual Summer Conference" for more information.

2009 Field Expeditions
Session 1 - GEOL 1250 01 - July 6 - July 10, 2009
Session 2 - GEOL 1250 02 - July 20 - August 24, 2009
Session 3 - GEOL 1250 03 - August 3 - August 7, 2009

Tired of the same old Saturday morning cartoons?

Looking for something different to entertain your brain?
Then look no further than Saturday Club here a the Tate. The first Saturday of every month, except where noted on holiday weekends and other events, we have fun educational activites for kids age 5 on up.

Due to the popularity of the Saturday Club program, it is best to reserve a spot ahead of time. There are two available sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Please call 268-2447 for more information or to reserve a place in either class.

Saturday Club Junior Ages 5 - 7 Cost - $7.50/session			Morning Session Junior Club - 10:30am - 11:30am Senior Club - 10:30am - 12:30pm Afternoon Session Junior Club - 1:30pm - 2:30pm Senior Club - 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Saturday Club Senior Ages 8 on up Cost - $15.00/session

Upcoming Saturday Club topics

March 7, 2009 - Senior Saturday Club: Geologic Time and the History of Life
In this session we show students how the principles of geology can be used to reconstruct the history of the earth, using examples from the Casper area.  Afterwards students construct their own timelines, with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals placed in their correct time periods.

December Open House

Come join the Tate Geological Museum at their annual holiday open house! A time to celebrate another great year here on campus!

This event usually takes place the first Saturday of the month. Check back for an exact date.

Activites include:

• Dinosaur ornament workshop
• Photos with Santa Saurus from 11am to 2pm
• Museum Scavenger Hunt
• Prep Lab Tours

Refreshments will be served throughout the day.

This time also launches our Gift Shop sale! We have a great selection of items perfect for the little geologist in your life.

Museum members, volunteers, Casper College and UW/CC faculty, staff and students receive a 25% discount.

General discount during our December sale is 15%.

We'll have door prize drawings and will also be selling raffle tickets for another great piece of Devner Broncos metal decor.

So come on over and join in on the fun, help us fill our tree with dinosaurs and see all the great things we have going on!

2009 Field Expeditions

Last year our field classes were very successful. We had visitors from across the U.S. including New York, California and South Carolina as well as several from across Wyoming. We managed to collect all of what was exposed of "Gret", the triceratops, as well as open a new triceratops quarry. This year we will continue with the new quarry and visit other areas in the Lusk area. These classes will be available when the summer schedule is released in the spring.

Course Information:
Session 1 - GEOL 1250 01 - July 6 - July 10, 2009
Session 2 - GEOL 1250 02 - July 20 - August 24, 2009
Session 3 - GEOL 1250 03 - August 3 - August 7, 2009

Fees include hotel accommodations Sunday night through Friday night, some meals and in-field transportation. Student will need to cover other expenses including transportation to and from Casper and most dinners. Cost is $650 plus tuition.

Tuition rates are:
$69.50 for Wyoming residents
$106.00 for WUE residents (AL, WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, NE, CO, AZ, NM, UT, CA, NV, OR)
$193.50 for non western states.

In order to register you will need to fill out a Non Degree Seeking Form. A link to this form is listed below:

• Non Degree Seeking Form (PDF)

Please mail the form and a check or credit card information to:
Melissa Connely
Tate Museum, Casper College
125 College Dr.
Casper WY 82601.

Attendees are required to sign a Medical Release Form. Please print this off and send it in with your registration form and payment.

• Medical Release Form (PDF)

For more information please call 307-268-3068 or email Melissa Connely. After receiving your registration, additional information will be requested. The itinerary is listed below.

This year's field sessions will focus on collecting Triceratops bones form one or two sites. These are sites that we have previously collected bones from, and which promise to have more bones. In addition to these we will also spend time prospecting and collecting form a site with a collection of small fossils.

For the Tate Museum Field Sessions we will be collecting in the late Cretaceous Lance Formation in eastern Wyoming. This rock unit is known for its hadrosaur mummies and common triceratops bones. Other animals known from the Lance Formation include T rex, ankylosaurs, pachycephalosaurs, ornithomimids, small theropods, crocodiles, turtles, fish, lizards, and mammals. Most fossils we find are isolated bones, but occasionally we find accumulations of bones or partial skeletons from one animal.

GEOL 1250 - 01 July 6-10
• Day 1 - information coming soon

GEOL 1250 - 02 July 20 - August 24
• Day 1 - information coming soon

GEOL 1250 - 03 August 3-7
• Day 1 - information coming soon

• Hat
• Sunscreen
• Personal medications
• Gloves
• Pants and long sleeve light colored clothing
• Sturdy shoes/boots
• Sunglasses

• Backpack
• Water bottles
• Field notebook
• Binoculars
• Camera
• Light jacket/rain gear
• Knee pads

Come and take a guided tour of the museum. Find out about dinosaurs, minerals, gems and check out our fantastic exhibits.

A group tour makes a great field trip for any class. Be it at the end of a unit, or as an introductory look into what students will be studying in class, a tour of the Tate Geological Museum is a wonderful addition to any lesson plan. We have a wealth of specimens and fossil casts that students can handle and examine during their visit. Open access at the Fossil Preparation Lab window gives students a chance to see some of the "behind the scenes" operations you don't always get to see at every museum. If you'd like a more interactive visit to the museum, we also have scavenger hunt questionnaires for students to fill out, giving them a chance to get more involved with their museum visit.

If you can't make it to the museum for a tour we also have a selection of Teaching Trunks filled with a great variety of specimens, fossil casts, books, posters and many other resources that can be checked out for use in the classroom.

It is best to schedule your tour or classroom visit as far in advance as possible to ensure you get the day and time that best fits your schedule.

Not sure if you will be able to attend a tour at the museum? We can bring the museum to you! Tate staff members have made presentations to local classrooms and community groups, as well as accompanied classes on field trips. Museum staff arrive with a number of materials, from fossil casts to the real thing, and always have plenty of hands-on items to be passed around the room.

Call today to make your appointment!
(307) 268-2447    ~    (800) 442-2963

Want to support the museum and have some fun at the same time? Come join us at one of our annual fund raising events!

Complete details coming soon.

For more information contact:
Tate Geological Museum
Casper College
125 College Drive
Casper, WY 82601
Phone: 307-268-2447

Museum Hours:
9 am - 5 pm Weekdays
10 am - 4 pm Saturdays
Closed Sundays and Major Holidays.

Location:
Southern most campus entrance off Casper Mountain Road

• Campus Map

The 2009 Tate Conference is scheduled for June 5-7, 2009. The theme this year is Fossil Preparation. Last year a few of us attended the First Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium at Petrified Forest National Park. Our conference will be a follow-up; the Second Annual Fossil Preparation and Collections Symposium. A schedule of events can be found here.

The 2009 Tate Conference will be a three-day event: a day of lab workshops on Friday, and day of talks on Saturday, and a field trip day on Sunday to the local White River Formation. The conference also includes a keynote speaker with dinner on Friday evening. Registration forms can be found here.

There is a block of rooms available for a discounted price for the conference.  The rooms are at the Parkway Plaza Hotel, (307)235-1777. You must mention that it is for the Tate Conference and use Group Code TASUMDI. 

Exciting hands-on learning for your students!

Each trunk contains various specimens, activities, replicas, videos, books, resource materials and a teachers guide.

Funded by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (B.O.C.E.S.) and Classroom Wyoming

These trunks are available for teachers in Wyoming to check out for use in the classroom. Contents are targeted to enhance 2nd & 4th grade curricula and outcome criteria; however, they can be used for any grade level. The trunks have been designed and created by a cooperative team of Tate Museum staff and Natrona County School District teachers.

Teaching trunks can be checked out for a two week period, which can be extended if the trunk does not have a waiting list.

Trunks are available to teachers free of charge.
To reserve a trunk for a two week period, please contact the Tate reception desk (307) 268-2447

The Tate Teaching Trunks can help the teacher in the classroom in many ways. Not only do they have hands on samples of various rocks, minerals and fossils, but each trunk also comes with a great selection of posters, books, videos and activities that make the teaching of various aspects of Earth Science fun and easy. The trunks are great for grades 1,2,3,4 and 6 to reach the goals set in the Earth Science requirements.

• Check out the Trunks FAQ for lesson ideas and answers to questions you might have.

Rocks and Minerals [inside trunk]
Casper is a great place to learn about rocks and minerals. Investigate the properties: hardness, crystal shape, cleavage, color, magnetism, streak, acid reactions. Learn to sort and classify rocks. Find out about local sites.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

General Geology and Economic Geology in Wyoming [inside trunk]
Activities about volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion, deposition and more are contained within this trunk. Students can also learn about oil, coal, gas, uranium, trona, bentonite and other resources that are important to Wyoming.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Fossils [inside trunk]
What is a fossil - and how is it formed? This trunk contains examples of fossils through geologic time and shows what they can teach us about ancient environments.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Dinosaurs [inside trunk]
Students can learn about the different kinds of dinosaurs, what environments they lived in and also where they lived. Teacher's guide includes many worksheets and there are also many hands on activities aimed primarily at 2nd graders.

• Curriculum Guide Preview

Do you want to make your visit to the Tate Museum more interactive than just looking at displays?

Here is a list of questions to help you make a customized day of activities for your students.

Please note that displays in the museum are often changing and new ones are being constructed. This list may not always be as updated as our displays.

1. Which display includes a VW Bug?
2. What is the most common classification of meteorite?
3. Which of the two types of jade is found in Wyoming?
4. Who has a pi-shaped tooth?
5. What saber-tooth predator is not a cat?
6. What is the only living cat with extended canines?
7. What were the diamond shaped holes in a cycad for? (hint: look at the "pettable" specimen)
8. How many toes are there on a theropod?
9. Which pterosaur comes from Germany?
10. Give the chemical composition for strontianite.
11. What is aluminum ore called?
12. On the whale wheel, what kind of teeth does a whale need to eat a mixed diet?
13. What animal had the largest eye of any vertebrate? (hint: it's around the marine diorama cases)
14. What shape is a gar scale?
15. What did the plesiosaurs eat to supplement their diet of fish?
16. Name an Oligocene Rhinoceros from Wyoming.
17. Which case has a coin in it?
18. What is the difference between Ammonites and Nautiloids?
19. What kind of animal is "Twinkle Toes"?
20. Draw the Chinese character for jade.
21. Name two snack foods that contain mineral resources found here in Wyoming.
22. What was one of the largest predators of the White River badlands?
23. What fossil helped to support the hypothesis of continental drift?

Scavenger Hunt Answer Key

Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions at the Tate Museum.
  If you have a question that isn't on this list, feel free to email it to:
Russell Hawley, Education Specialist

1. Was Tyrannosaurus rex a predator or a scavenger?
   Answer
2. Why did the dinosaurs become extinct?
   Answer
3. Did birds really evolve from dinosaurs?
   Answer
4. Were dinosaurs warm-blooded or cold-blooded?
   Answer
5. How fast was Velociraptor?
   Answer
6. How big was Velociraptor?
   Answer
7. How smart was Velociraptor?
   Answer
8. Is it true that if you don't move, a Tyrannosaurus can't see you?
   Answer
9. Why isn't a plesiosaur a dinosaur?
   Answer
10. So if a plesiosaur wasn't a dinosaur, what was it?
    Answer
11. What was the biggest dinosaur?
    Answer
12. Why did they change the name of Brontosaurus to Apatosaurus? Is it because they had attached the wrong head to the wrong skeleton?
    Answer
13. What's the difference between an ammonite and a nautiloid?
    Answer
14. How big was a pterodactyl?
    Answer
15. How can you tell real gold apart from fool's gold?
    Answer
16. What was the fastest dinosaur? It was Velociraptor, right?
    Answer
17. How can we tell what dinosaurs ate?
    Answer
18. What's the difference between Allosaurus and Tyrannosaurus?
    Answer
19. What kinds of sounds did dinosaurs make?
    Answer
    Listen to an example of a Parahorn
20. What color were dinosaurs?
    Answer
21. Wyoming used to be under the ocean, right? When was that?
    Answer
22. Where did the fossils in the Tate Museum come from? Are any of them from Wyoming?
    Answer
23. Did Dilophosaurus really spit poison?
    Answer
24. How can we tell how old dinosaur bones are?
    Answer
25. Why don't you have the real Tyrannosaurus rex skull on display?
    Answer
26. What was the smallest dinosaur?
    Answer
27. Which state has the most dinosaur fossils?
    Answer
28. Is it true that Spinosaurus was really bigger than Tyrannosaurus rex?
    Answer

• Wyoming Sites
  • Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Thermopolis
  • University of Wyoming Geology Museum, Laramie
  • Wyoming Mining Association
  • White River Mammals from Wyoming
    
    
• Dinosaur Sites
  • UC Berkeley, Museum of Paleontology
  • Prehistoric Times Magazine online
    
    
• Fossil Mammals Sites
  • Hot Springs South Dakota Mammoth Site
    
    
• Marine Reptile Sites
  • Oceans of Kansas - mosasaurs and more!
  • The Plesiosaur Directory
    
    
• Rock and Minueral Sites
  • Bob's Rock Shop 
    
    
• General Geology Sites
  • Ask A Geologist from the US Geological Survey
  • Museum of Natural History, London, England
  • The American Natural History Museum
  • Denver Museum of Natural History, Colorado
  • Black Hills Institute, Hill City, South Dakota
  • Museum of the Rockies, Montana
  • Paleo + Pelagica Museum and Science Center, Texas
  • Biosciences
    
    
• Membership Sites
  • Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
  • Geological Society of America
  • American Institute of Professional Geologists
  • Mineralogical Society of America
  • Western Interior Paleontological Society
  • New York Paleontological Society

Visit the world without leaving home!

• Alcova Lake in Wyoming (PDF)
• Alcova Lake in Wyoming (Complete Interactive Website)

The discovery was first made on March 8, 2006 by bulldozer operator Dee Zimmerschied while preparing the area for a drilling pad on a private ranch north of Casper.

Dr. Kent Sundell and a group of students and volunteers went out to examine the site over spring break, where they uncovered 28 bones. This initial exploration unearthed the rest of the pelvis, ribs and multiple vertebrae.

Of the 170 bones excavated through the month of June, 100 are mostly complete and identifiable, including a broken off tusk.

The specimen was named for the initial discoverer, and we all look forward to the day when "Dee" the mammoth can stand again with us in the museum. Getting the bones out of the ground is only the first step, they still need to be cleaned up and repaired in some cases, but it will certainly keep us all busy for a while.

The prep lab is where it all begins.

Here the specimans are cleaned and made ready for exhibit in the museum gallery.

Casper Museums

• Nicolaysen Art Museum

• Wyoming Science Adventure Center

• Fort Caspar

• Casper Planetarium

• Werner Wildlife Museum

• Mormon Handcart Historic Sites

Wyoming Sites

• Wyoming Dinosaur Center, Thermopolis

• University of Wyoming Geology Museum, Laramie

• Wyoming Mining Association