**Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter**
**The Legendary Ford Model TT Truck**
In the untamed wilderness of the American West, where towering spires of rock and vast, bone-strewn landscapes whispered tales of ancient giants, there emerged an unassuming vehicle destined to play a pivotal role in the annals of paleontology: the Ford Model TT truck.
This rugged workhorse, with its robust chassis, high ground clearance, and dependable V-8 engine, was the indispensable companion of Barnum Brown, one of the greatest dinosaur hunters of the early 20th century. Through treacherous trails and across desolate plains, the Model TT carried Brown and his team on their extraordinary expeditions, leading to the discovery of countless fossilized remains that would forever transform our understanding of prehistoric life.
The Model TT truck was more than just a mode of transportation; it was an extension of Brown's intrepid spirit. Its high-riding suspension allowed it to navigate the unforgiving terrain of the Badlands of South Dakota, where Brown uncovered the first Tyrannosaurus rex. Its powerful engine propelled it through the rugged canyons of Utah, where he unearthed the enigmatic Stegosaurus.
Beyond its functional capabilities, the Model TT truck embodies the raw spirit of adventure and the unyielding determination that fueled Brown's groundbreaking discoveries. Its battered exterior bears the scars of countless journeys through hostile environments, each scratch and dent a testament to the challenges faced and overcome.
The Model TT truck not only served as a vehicle for Brown's expeditions but also as a mobile laboratory, where he meticulously prepared and packed the precious fossils he collected. Its ample cargo space accommodated the enormous crates containing the bones of massive dinosaurs, preserving them for future scientific study.
With its rugged construction and unwavering dependability, the Ford Model TT truck played an indispensable role in Barnum Brown's groundbreaking contributions to paleontology. It was a vehicle that pushed the boundaries of human knowledge, carrying Brown and his team to the very frontiers of scientific discovery.
Roland Thaxter Bird, universally and affectionately known to friends and associates as R. T., achieved a kind of Horatio Alger success in the scientific world of dinosaur studies. Forced to drop out of school at a young age by ill health, he was a cowboy who traveled from job to job by motorcycle until he met Barnum Brown, Curator of Vertebrae Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and a leader in the study of dinosaurs. Beginning in 1934, Bird spent many years as an employee of the museum and as Brown's right-hand man in the field. His chart of the Howe Quarry in Wyoming, a massive sauropod boneyard, is one of the most complex paleontological charts ever produced and a work of art in its own right. His crowning achievement was the discovery, collection, and interpretation of gigantic Cretaceous dinosaur trackways along the Paluxy River near Glen Rose and at Bandera, Texas. A trackway from Glen Rose is on exhibit at the American Museum and at the Texas Memorial Museum in Austin. His interpretation of these trackways demonstrated that a large carnosaur had pursued and attacked a sauropod, that sauropods migrated in herds, and that, contrary to then-current belief, sauropods were able to support their own weight out of deep water. These behavioral interpretations anticipated later dinosaur studies by at least two decades.
From his first meeting with Barnum Brown to his discoveries at Glen Rose and Bandera, this very human account tells the story of Bird's remarkable work on dinosaurs. In a vibrantly descriptive style, Bird recorded both the intensity and excitement of field work and the careful and painstaking detail of laboratory reconstruction. His memoir presents a vivid picture of camp life with Brown and the inner workings of the famous American Museum of Natural History, and it offers a new and humanizing account of Brown himself, one of the giants of his field.
Bird's memoir has been supplemented with a clear and concise introduction to the field of dinosaur study and with generous illustrations which delineate the various types of dinosaurs.
Author: Bird, Roland
Publisher: Texas Christian University Press
Illustration: Y
Language: ENG
Title: Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter
Pages: 00226 (Encrypted EPUB) / 00226 (Encrypted PDF)
On Sale: 2013-05-31
SKU-13/ISBN: 9780875650111
Category: Nature : General
Category: Science : Paleontology
