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Dinosaur National MonumentPaleontologist squatting next to dinosaur bones on cliff.
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Dinosaur National Monument
Park Statistics

Important Dates:

- August 17, 1909 - Earl Douglass, Carnegie Museum paleontologist, discovers eight vertebra of an Apatosaurus, the first skeleton discovered and excavated at the Dinosaur Quarry

- October 4, 1915 - President Woodrow Wilson signs presidential proclamation establishing 80 acres surrounding the Dinosaur Quarry as Dinosaur National Monument

- July 14, 1938 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Presidential proclamation expanding monument by approximately 200,000 acres to include the canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers

- June 1, 1958 - Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center is dedicated and opened to the public

- 1965 - Monument Headquarters Visitor Center and Harpers Corner tour road are dedicated and opened to the public

Geographic Facts:

- Total Acreage: 210,844.02 acres or 329.44 square miles

- Highest elevation: 9,006 feet at Zenobia Peak

- Lowest elevation: 4,740 feet along Green River in the southwest corner of the monument

- Elevation at Dinosaur Quarry: 5,000 feet

- Elevation at Monument Headquarters: 5, 900 feet

- Highest point on Harpers Corner Road: 7,560 feet at Stuntz Ridge

- Deepest canyon: Canyon of Lodore, over 3,000 feet deep from rim to the river in several places

- Highest cliff: Warm Springs cliff, 1,500 feet

- Yampa River in monument is 46 miles long from Deerlodge Park to its confluence with the Green River

- Green River in monument is 45 miles long from Gates of Lodore to Split Mountain Boat Ramp

Photo of paleontologist Earl Douglass.  

Did You Know?
Paleontologist Earl Douglass first came to Utah looking for mammal fossils. He returned in 1909 and discovered an immense deposit of dinosaur bones, now protected at Dinosaur National Monument. Although made famous by dinosaurs, Douglass died preferring his beloved mammal fossils over dinosaurs.

Last Updated: January 11, 2008 at 13:38 EST