AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES
Number 3956, 56 pp. June 24, 2020
Reconstructing the specimens
and history of Howe Quarry
(Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation; Wyoming)
EMANUEL TSCHOPP,!? CARL MEHLING,! AND MARK A. NORELL!
ABSTRACT
In 1934, Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History in New York
(AMNH) led a large-scale dinosaur excavation in northern Wyoming, where he had found
bones two years earlier. Initially, Brown expected to excavate two skeletons of sauropod dino-
saurs, but soon after opening the quarry, the team realized that the site far exceeded their
expectations: in the end, they unearthed approximately 3000 bones within six months and sent
approximately 144 crates back to the AMNH. Due to the enormous number of bones, the site
became world famous as a dinosaur graveyard, and media from all over the United States and
abroad reported on the expedition. Soon after, however, the collection shifted away from a
curatorial focus. What followed was a history of neglect: inappropriate storage conditions, water
and fire damage, collapsing wooden boxes, and deteriorating plaster jackets.
Relocation and further excavation of the quarry by the Sauriermuseum Aathal (Switzer-
land; SMA) from 1989 to 1991 confirmed earlier finds of skin impressions and resulted in the
recognition of a novel diplodocid sauropod: Kaatedocus siberi. Given that the amount of bones
found by the AMNH far exceeded those found by the SMA, a new project was started in 2017
to reassess the state and scientific value of the historic collections at AMNH. Although most of
the bones are heavily fragmented, preliminary results show that overall preservation is still
exceptional. Here, we reconstruct the history of the excavation, as well as past conservation and
preparation procedures, and provide a report of current efforts to prepare, conserve, and catalog
the material that has remained in storage since the 1930s. These current efforts show that his-
toric collections, even after decades of neglect, can be of great and unexpected value, both for
research and scientific outreach.
' Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York.
* Centrum fiir Naturkunde, Universitat Hamburg, Germany.
Copyright © American Museum of Natural History 2020 ISSN 0003-0082
AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
INTRODUCTION
Howe Quarry is one of the most enigmatic and famous single dinosaur sites in the Upper
Jurassic Morrison Formation. It was discovered sometime in the 1920s, on the land of Barker
M. Howe, north of Shell, Wyoming (fig. 1), and brought to the attention of Barnum Brown in
1932 by Nellie Austin, a local fossil enthusiast (Brown, 1935a). Initially expecting to excavate
two sauropod dinosaurs within a month or two, Barnum Browns team ended up spending six
months in 1934 excavating an estimated 3000-4000 bones from a minimum of 20-25 indi-
vidual skeletons, Many of these skeletons were semiarticulated and arranged in a criss-crossed
way, The bones are dark brown to black, encased in a gray siltstone matrix (Breithaupt, 1997;
Michelis, 2004). Photos of the quarry, and numerous media reports made the site world famous
as a dinosaur graveyard, and hundreds visited the quarry during the excavation in 1934. Unfor-
tunately, not all the material was shipped to the American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH), and only a small portion of it was prepared in the following years (see below).
Even though not much was done with the Howe Quarry material at AMNH in the following
years (due to Depression era economics, war time, and Browns retirement), the fame and fascina-
tion with it remained alive, mostly thanks to the publication of photos and a very elaborate quarry
map drawn by Roland T. Bird in popular science articles and books (fig, 2; e.g., Brown, 1935a,
1935b; Colbert, 1984; Bird, 1985; Norell, 2019). Most importantly, Bird (1985) also described the
excavation itself in some detail, and mentioned that the site was never fully excavated, which
prompted several parties to relocate it. In 1989, a preliminary excavation at the historic Howe
Quarry led by the Swiss commercial collector Hans-Jakob (Kirby) Siber yielded additional bones,
and his team got permission from the Howe family (the fossil rights owners) and from Press Ste-
phens (the land owner) to excavate again. The rest of Howe Quarry was fully excavated by the Siber
team in 1990 and 1991, which led to the establishment of the Sauriermuseum Aathal (in Aathal,
close to Zurich, Switzerland; SMA) in 1992 (H.-J. Siber, personal commun,), These more recent
finds sparked new scientific interest in the area, and in Howe Quarry material itself, and resulted
in a number of scientific publications. These reported on sauropod skin finds (Czerkas, 1992, 1994),
theropod footprints (Lockley et al., 1998), and a new species of sauropod dinosaur (Kaatedocus
siberi; Tschopp and Mateus, 2013a), among others. Material from the SMA excavations at Howe
Quarry contributed to a more detailed understanding of sauropod anatomy (both of soft and hard
tissues; e.g., Czerkas, 1992, Klein et al., 2012; Tschopp and Mateus, 2013a, 2013b), sauropod-thero-
pod interactions (Lockley et al., 1998), and more generally Morrison Formation paleoecology (e.g.,
Michelis, 2004; Tschopp and Mateus, 2017; Whitlock et al., 2018), Preliminary results from ongoing
research on the historic material at AMNH further confirm the enormous scientific value of this
site (Moretti et al., 2018; Tschopp et al., 2018, 2019a). Given the scientific importance of the Howe
Quarry material, a preparation and conservation project was initiated in July 2017 to reassess the
curatorial state and scientific value of the historic collections at AMNH (Tschopp et al., 2018).
The Howe Quarry campaign can thus be divided into three distinct phases, which we try
to reconstruct here to provide a complete report of the excavation, preparation, and curation
(or historical neglect) of the collection. The phases comprise: (1) the discovery, excavation,
early preparation, and curatorial neglect of the remaining unprepared material; (2) the reloca-
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY
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FIGURE 1. Location of Howe Quarry north of Shell, Bighorn County, Wyoming, with a photograph of Barker
M. Howe (left) and Barnum Brown (right) on the site. Some constructions of Howe's homestead can be seen
in the center right of the photograph. Maps of the United States, Wyoming, and Bighorn County copyright
by d-maps.com, used with permission. Photograph courtesy of the AMNH Research Library (Photo Collec-
tion 5: 4, Box 7; “Howe Quarry, Wyoming, 1934”).
f AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 2. Photograph and quarry map of Howe Quarry, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. A femur (turquois) and
a scapula (red) recognizable in both images are highlighted to show spatial relationships. Note the three men
in the photograph for scale.
tion of the quarry and salvaging of the neglected collection at AMNH; and (3) the recent
conservation project. Thus, we provide both a historical assessment and a summary of recent
curatorial efforts to preserve and catalog the previously unprepared Howe Quarry material.
Our focus will mostly be on the historic collections at AMNH, highlighting the importance of
keeping historic collections no matter their condition.
INSTITUTIONAL ABBREVIATIONS
AMNH FARB American Museum of Natural History, Fossil Amphibian, Reptile, and Bird
collections, New York
AMNH FF American Museum of Natural History, Fossil Fish collections, New York
AMNH VPA American Museum of Natural History, Vertebrate Paleontology Archives, New
York
MOR Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman, Montana
SMA Sauriermuseum Aathal, Aathal, Switzerland
YPM Yale Peabody Museum, New Haven, Connecticut
MATERIAL
Most of the material excavated from Howe Quarry and present at AMNH belongs to sau-
ropod dinosaurs of at least two different taxa: the diplodocine Kaatedocus siberi, and a macro-
narian sauropod closely related to Camarasaurus (Michelis, 2004; Tschopp and Mateus, 2013a;
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY
Tschopp et al., 2015). Additionally, fragmentary remains of the ornithischian Camptosaurus
are present, as well as theropod teeth and a lungfish tooth plate (Brown, 1935a, 1935b; Kirk-
land, 1987; Michelis, 2004; E.T., personal obs., 2017). Brown (1935a) initially reported mostly
Barosaurus, with some specimens of Morosaurus and Camptosaurus but also stated repeatedly
in the press that many represented new taxa (e.g., New York Times, Sept. 9, 1934). Whereas
Morosaurus had actually been synonymized with Camarasaurus more than 20 years earlier
(Mook, 1914), some of the Barosaurus material likely belongs to Kaatedocus siberi (e.g., AMNH
FARB 7530, see Tschopp et al., 2015). Breithaupt (1997) also mentioned the presence of Diplod-
ocus and Apatosaurus, but referrals of specimens to these taxa in northern Wyoming and
Montana have been shown to be questionable (Tschopp et al., 2019b). The faunal list from the
Howe Quarry in Foster (2003) represents several distinct quarries on the Howe Ranch, which
are from different stratigraphic levels (including the Howe-Stephens and Howe-Scott quarries;
see Schwarz et al., 2007; Tschopp and Mateus, 2017). A detailed assessment of the taxonomy
of all the remaining Howe Quarry material will be necessary to definitively confirm which taxa
were preserved here. Such a study is out of scope of the current paper and will be addressed
in later contributions.
HISTORY (1932 TO 1970s)
EXCAVATION (1932 To 1934)
Barnum Brown first visited the site in the summer of 1932 with Peter Kaisen and Darwin
Harbicht. They soon realized that there were too many bones to excavate that summer, so they
covered them, and left the excavation for the following year (Brown, 1935b; Michelis, 2004).
Brown's team found evidence for two individuals, with two tails, one connected to a sacrum,
the other one associated with a hind limb (Brown, 1935a). In 1933, a limited amount of money
was available through the Frick Fund (AMNH Annual Report, 1933), allowing Brown to
remove six feet of overburden from an area of 65 x 45 feet, but not to further excavate the area
(Brown, 1935b). Significant sponsorship by Sinclair Oil and Refining made the excavation pos-
sible in 1934 (Brown, 1935a, 1935b).
Carl Sorensen was appointed to lead the 1934 expedition in Brown's absence. He left New
York on Friday, 25 May 1934, and arrived in Billings, Montana, on May 31 (as indicated in a
letter from Brown to Edward [Ted] Lewis from May 26th, 1934; AMNH VPA-14). Here,
Sorensen met Lewis (from Yale University), Dan Thrapp (AMNH), and Bill Frutchey (New
Jersey) (Bird, 1985), They arrived on the Howe Ranch on Friday, June 1 (Brown, 1935a). Later
the same day, Roland T. Bird joined the group from Florida (Bird, 1985). Brown and Kaisen
were supposed to join the excavations at a later stage, but Kaisen was recovering from surgery
that summer. Brown initially planned to arrive around June 20, but got there on July 11 (AMNH
VPA-38; The Greybull Standard, July 12, 1934: 1). Interestingly, Bird (1985) wrongly reports
Browns arrival to have been on July 3,
Quarry work began either on Monday June 4 (according to Bird, 1985) or more likely on
Wednesday June 6 (according to the unpublished “Summary of important dates,” which seems
6 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 3. Historic photographs from the 1934 excavation at Howe Quarry. A, Removing overburden with
horses. B, Excavating and jacketing. Two original crates are ready to be packed. Box number (109 on the one
on the right), year of the expedition, and institution are written on the crate. Crate 109 (on the right) is also
marked with “Block 71’, indicating that a large jacket from section 71 was packed in that crate. C, Documen-
tation of the quarry with photography from a barrel hanging from a hay derrick. D, Large or long plaster
jackets were reinforced with branches and wooden beams. E, Many bones (including ribs) were jacketed as
single elements and nearly completely prepared in the field (as in this rib from section 62, which Brown is
showing off), likely to reduce weight. Photographs are courtesy of AMNH VPA (A, C) and the AMNH
Research Library (B, D, E; Photo Collection 5: 4, Box 7; “Howe Quarry, Wyoming, 1934”).
to be more accurate than Bird, 1985; AMNH VPA-38). They uncovered two articulated tails
with chevrons, several ribs, and a scapula, most of which were already exposed and covered
again by Brown in 1932 (Brown, 1935a; Bird, 1985). A few days later, the team had already
found five scapulae, two more tails, and a neck (Bird, 1985).
Due to the considerable number of newly uncovered bones, Brown sent three more men:
Laurence F. Rainsford and his son Laurence K. from Rye, NY (who arrived on July 1; AMNH
VPA-38), and Wyman R. Green from Princeton (who arrived on July 2; AMNH VPA-38). After
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 7
FIGURE 4. Historic photographs from the 1934 excavation at Howe Quarry. A, Visitors were common during
the excavation. Barnum Brown explains the site to two of them. B, The Paton Ranch, where many dinners
were held, and where some jackets were stored in 1934 to be picked up later (which never happened). C, A
picture of the excavation team (sitting, left to right: Barker M. Howe, Laurence Rainsford, Barnum Brown,
Carl Sorensen, William Frutchey; standing, left to right; Roland T. Bird, Wyman Green, Ted Lewis, Dan
Thrapp, unknown, possibly Rainsford’s son). D, Snowstorms interrupted quarry work several times between
September and November. Photographs are courtesy of AMNH VPA (A, B, D) and the AMNH Research
Library (C; photo 132802).
Browns arrival, Milo Howe (Barker M. Howe's son) started to help in the excavation and
removal of overburden with his horses (fig. 3A; Bird, 1985). More people joined later during
the season, while others had to leave before the end of the campaign, so that the team averaged
between nine and 12 members (fig. 4C; Brown, 1935a).
Given the complicated arrangement of the numerous bones and partial skeletons, Bird vol-
unteered to draw a map to record how all the elements were associated (Bird, 1985). The entire
area was divided into squares of three feet (Brown, 1935a, 1935b; Michelis, 2004), which were
numbered (Brown, 1935a, 1935b; Bird, 1985), and totaled 378 squares (18 rows of 21 squares
each; Michelis, 2004). The bones were sometimes drawn into the map while still partly covered
by matrix, so that only parts of certain bones could be drawn. ‘The field sketches were copied to
the final, compiled map once back in New York, at R.T. Bird's parents’ home in Rye (fig. 5; Bird,
1985). The drawings of incompletely visible bones were subsequently completed for the compila-
tion, vertebrae in particular, so the shape and exact dimensions are not necessarily accurate
(according to notes in the AMNH Research Library: Department of Vertebrate Paleontology
8 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 5, Evolution of R.T, Bird’s quarry map from sketches to the final, published version, The portion of
the map shown here covers section numbers 79-81 (top row), 100-102 (middle row), and 121-123 (bottom
row). The sketches (left) were transferred onto large Bristol board plates in Bird’s homestead in Rye, NY (cen-
ter), and then onto the final map (right; see Bird, 1985, for more details). There are numerous notes on the
sketches, including numbers given to the jackets, outlines of blocks taken out with more than one bone, and
more. Bird also traced the fracture patterns of the single bones, and generally only drew the visible part of the
bones in the field. He likely retraced the sketches with black ink before transcribing the data onto the Bristol
board plates, the “OK” possibly indicates that he had already transcribed this sheet. During the transcription,
Bird fleshed out the drawing of incompletely visible bones, and got rid of the fracture pattern, probably in an
attempt to increase readability of the map. This process was even more enhanced in the second transcription
step, and can especially be followed in how the ribs are drawn in the center of the figured portion of the map
(section 101) and with the cervical vertebrae in section 121, Also, location and proportions of certain bones
changed (see the disarticulated caudal vertebra in section 100, and the large cervical vertebra along the section
line between 80 and 101), and some elements were not drawn in some of the later iterations (e.g., the frag-
ments in sections 79 and 100, and one of the chevrons in section 79), Proportions and exact location of single
elements are likely most accurate in the original sketches,
Roland T. Bird Howe Quarry Field Sketches and Notes, approximately 1934-1940, DR 202). Also,
according to these notes, not all the bones were transcribed from the field sketches to the com-
bined plan published by Brown (1935a; see Michelis, 2004), and some bones were discarded on
site due to poor preservation. Indeed, some bones in jackets that were unpacked subsequent to
2017 could not be located on the map. These discrepancies are likely to be part of the reason why
early estimates by Brown (4000 bones; 1935a) diverged so much from a later count of the bones
on the map by Michelis (2004), who identified around 2200 bones, A current count lists 2669
elements (including bones, soft tissue, and sediment samples, and some bones that were discarded
on site due to poor preservation). Although this count is likely to increase as more of the remain-
ing material is unpacked, it is unlikely it will reach Browns estimate.
This richness of fossil dinosaur bones attracted a lot of public interest. Brown was inter-
viewed several times during the excavations by various news outlets including radio shows at
KGHL in Billings, Montana, and a Paramount Newsreel (AMNH VPA-38), The New York
Times alone published at least 12 articles on this specific excavation in 1934 and 1935. The
news attracted more than 2500 visitors to the site (fig. 4A; Brown, 1935a; Bird, 1985), which
Se ee ee ee ee eee. BE
FIGURE 6. Photograph and quarry map showing a vertically preserved tibia and fibula. These peculiar finds were
drawn in perspective by R.'T. Bird. Location of the photographer and Barnum and Lilian Brown in the photograph
are indicated on the map for orientation, The colored specimens are cataloged bones in the collections at AMNH
(see also fig, 15); the tibia and fibula in question are part of AMNH FARB 7540, together with a pes and a dorsal
rib. Note the grid system and the section numbers in the lower left corner of each square of the grid.
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY
10 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
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FIGURE 7. Original jackets and packages from 1934, when being unpacked after 2017. Note the number painted
(upper pictures) on the plaster-and-burlap jackets or scratched into it (lower right), indicating that these speci-
mens were excavated from sections 130 (upper left), 126 (upper right), and 196 (lower right) of the quarry map.
Small specimens were packed in newspaper, in some cases with a cushioning layer of wool or cotton (lower left).
Plaster jackets were supported with cedar as well as possibly cottonwood branches (upper right). A cutter was
used to cut the jackets open after 2017, and the section numbers were preserved where possible. The number of
the cabinet where the specimens were housed (“door 1064”; lower left) before the recent conservation project
was noted and kept associated with the specimens throughout the entire process.
all had to sign a guest book (AMNH VPA- 16a). In late July, the local community erected signs
along highway 14 to direct tourists to the dinosaur dig (The Greybull Standard, July 19, 1934:
1). Some of these visitors damaged and even stole bones (mostly claws, but also parts of ribs
and possibly other elements) exposed in the quarry (Bird, 1985). Other bones were damaged
during a nighttime thunderstorm, when the crew did not expect rain, and had to cover the
quarry by night. A scapula also shattered into pieces while turning a plaster jacket (Bird, 1985).
The site did not only seem important for its richness of bones: skin impressions were found too,
but “much of it had to be destroyed in preparing the bones for shipment” (Brown, 1935a: 6). Bird
found potential stomach contents, with 64 gastroliths. The team also found several articulated lower
legs that apparently got stuck in the mud and were preserved nearly vertically (fig. 6; Bird, 1985).
The bones were extensively cracked when discovered. Shellac was used to consolidate the
bones once uncovered (Brown, 1935a; Bird, 1985), as was typical for the time (Linares Sori-
ano and Carrascosa Moliner, 2016). In some cases, several rounds of consolidation were
necessary (Brown, 1935a; Bird, 1985). In order to protect the bones for transport to New
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 11
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FIGURE 8. Historic photographs from the 1934 excavation at Howe Quarry. A, Many bones were jacketed alone,
as these dorsal ribs ready to be packed. B, Crates 42, 44, 45 are being transported to the truck. C, The specimens
are loaded in a box car in Greybull, Wyoming, for shipment. Photographs are courtesy of AMNH VPA.
York, large bones were jacketed with plaster and burlap, whereas smaller ones were wrapped
in wool and newspaper, according to Bird (1985). When opening some of the original news-
paper packages since 2017, however, we found that in some cases, only newspaper was used,
and in other cases, the cushioning material seemed to be cotton rather than wool (fig. 7). On
August 1, the team started to make the first plaster jackets (AMNH VPA-38). According to
Bird (1985), rice paper was used to separate the bones from the plaster, although this was
apparently not always the case, as subsequent opening of the jackets in 2017 revealed. Sticks
were used to stabilize large and long, narrow jackets (figs 3D, 7; Bird, 1985), and some bones
had to be divided into two packages, because they were mingled too much with other bones
in the quarry to remove them safely as single elements (Brown, 1935a). The jackets were
numbered to correspond with the squares on the quarry map (Brown, 1935a, 1935b; Bird,
12 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 9. The henhouse on the Paton Ranch in 1934 (with R.T. Bird and an unidentified person, left; and
posing as a cowboy with Rowena Paton, Sr., center) and in 2017, The jackets were stored along what is the far
side of the henhouse in these pictures. Historic photographs courtesy of AMNH Research Library (Photo
Collection 5: 4, Box 7; “Howe Quarry, Wyoming, 1934”), recent photograph by C.M.
1985), usually with black paint, but in some cases also scratched into the plaster (figs 3E, 7,
8A). Generally, a point at the end of the number or a line below it indicates which way the
number should be read in cases where it could be rotated ambiguously. However, this was
not always the case, and the numbers have in some cases faded on jackets while they were
in storage. Newspapers used for small packages found and unpacked since 2017 date from
between May 17 and October 17, 1934, so some newspaper must have been kept by local
people and given to the team for the purpose for at least a month (given that the AMNH
team did not arrive until late May and started excavation in June). Papers from The New York
Times, The Billings Gazette, The Greybull Standard, and The Denver Post were identified
among the remaining packages.
In September, Brown realized that there was not enough time to excavate the entire site in
one field season, Excavation and packaging was interrupted several times between September
and November due to snowfall (fig. 4D; AMNH VPA-38), while the team decreased in number
because many members had to return east, and Brown was away for two airplane surveys to
find possible new sites to explore for fossils (Bird, 1985). In November, plastering was still not
finished, and the crew worked even at night (Bird, 1985). The last blocks with bones were
plastered on November 16 (AMNH VPA-38).
The jackets and packages were packed into wooden crates (figs 3B, 8B), which were built
by M. Howe, Ben Allen, and Dallas Hurst, and filled with straw (Bird, 1985). The last box
shipped to New York was sent on November 17, 1934 (Brown, 1935a), which was also the day
when Brown left the quarry for Los Angeles (AMNH VPA-38), Brown (1935a) estimated the
number of bones excavated to be 4000, packed into 144 boxes, which were shipped to New
York in a railroad boxcar “loaded literally to the brim” (fig. 8C; Colbert, 1984: 173). However,
there was apparently not enough space in the boxcar to fit all the material, so some plaster
jackets were stored behind a henhouse on the Paton Ranch in Shell (figs 4B, 9; C. and R.
Manuel, personal commun., 2010, 2016),
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 13
FIGURE 10. Aerial photographs of Howe Quarry (indicated with an arrow). Courtesy of AMNH Research
Library (photos 331171 to 331174).
DOCUMENTATION
Apart from the quarry map, the excavation was fairly extensively documented with black
and white photography (see figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8). The official photographer was Lewis, but other
participants (e.g., Bird, Green) had their own cameras with them, and visitors to the quarry
also took photographs, some of which are available in the archives of the AMNH Research
Library and/or the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology. In order to take survey photographs
of large parts of the quarry, the crew set up a derrick normally used to stack hay, and pulled
up a barrel with the photographer inside (fig. 3C), who could then take subaerial pictures from
the quarry (fig. 2). Aerial photographs were taken when Brown went on prospecting trips by
airplane in September and October of 1934 (fig. 10).
Fieldnotes could not be located (as is typical of Brown expeditions), other than a list of
expenses, and letters between Brown or other members of the field crew and the museum.
Additionally, the departmental archive holds a list with important dates and photos and cap-
tions, which were scanned during the recent conservation project, as well as a number of letters
14 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
——™
FIGURE 11. AMNH FARB 7531, from the field to the collections. Photographs of part of the tail in the field (top
left) and once it was prepared and mounted on a plaster support (reversed here to match the photograph from
the excavation and the drawings—the tail must have been prepared from the bottom side and mounted that
way), in the position in which it was found (top right), and respective section of the first sketch (bottom left)
and the final, compiled quarry map (bottom right). Note that there are 15 distal caudal vertebrae in the field and
on the mounted plaster support, but only 14 are drawn on the sketch and map. The rib overlying the tail on the
sketch was probably removed before taking the picture in 1934. Two additional vertebrae can be seen in the field
photograph, and are drawn with pencil on the sketch, but were not transcribed to the compiled map. The frac-
tures in the ribs drawn in the sketch were left out from the final version as well, probably to increase clarity.
and meeting minutes reporting details from the excavation. Finally, Bird’s original, onsite
sketches for the quarry map were transferred from the archives to the AMNH Research Library
during the recent Howe Quarry project, together with documents listing: (1) the contents of
the single squares of the grid (“sections”), (2) the crate location of jackets sent, listed by crate
number, (3) the crate location of material sent, listed by the field section where it was found,
and (4) the contents of certain crates that were opened sometime in the 1930s.
EARLY PREPARATION AND CURATORIAL PLANS (1935 To 1941)
Lack of money (Bird, 1985) and an ongoing lawsuit between Brown and Howe (AMNH
VPA-14) made it impossible to resume excavations at the Howe Quarry in 1935 and during
the following years. So, the site was abandoned for about 40 years, during which B.M. Howe
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 15
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plaster support
FIGURE 12. AMNH FARB 7535, cervical vertebra 8 on plaster support. The vertebra is shown in dorsal,
anterior, left lateral, posterior, and right lateral view. Notable surface gloss is likely due to consolidation and
coating with shellac.
passed away (in 1936) and the ranch was sold, although the fossil rights were specifically
retained by the Howe family (H.-J. Siber, personal commun., 2003), However, preparation and
curation of the material slowly advanced.
In 1935, preparation of the material was started with the plan to mount a single,
composite skeleton of a sauropod dinosaur (AMNH Annual Report, 1935), There are no
preparation reports from that time, but some information can be gleaned from Bird
(1985). The first specimen to be prepared was a tail, with the distal end curled up (AMNH
FARB 7531) (fig. 11). Sections of the tail were mounted on two plaster beds, the way the
tail was found in the quarry and briefly displayed in the museum foyer with some gas-
troliths and skin specimens (Bird, 1985). The second specimen to be prepared was a more
complete skeleton from the back of the quarry (it remains unclear which one this was on
the map). A pelvis was severely damaged while trying to haul it onto a table in the prepa-
ration lab (this must be either AMNH FARB 7532 or 7533, the only two specimens with
prepared pelves in the collections). A skull and a few additional bones were prepared by
Otto Falkenbach, and probably all other specimens by Bird, as no money was available to
hire additional preparators (Bird, 1985). Two partial skulls from Howe Quarry are present
among the specimens prepared in the 1930s (AMNH FARB 7530 and 7535). Most prob-
ably, the skull prepared by Falkenbach is AMNH FARB 7530 (referred to Kaatedocus siberi
by Tschopp et al., 2015), which is more complete and in a better state of preservation than
AMNH FARB 7535 (referred to Barosaurus sp. by Tschopp et al., 2015). Falkenbach had
much more preparation experience than Bird at the time, so the difference in the quality
of the prep job between these two specimens is likely due to that. Some cervical vertebrae
were mounted on plaster bases (fig. 12), probably with the idea of putting them on display
at a later date. Preparation of Howe Quarry material slowed down when Bird and Brown
resumed long-term field expeditions in the western United States in 1936 onward (not at
the Howe Quarry, see above; Bird, 1985), and were likely completely interrupted once
Brown retired in 1941.
16 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
surface gloss
O Le
Paraloid
mixture
shellac
Paraloid B-72
flaked off @Reeey
sediment
FIGURE 13. Skin (AMNH FARB 7543) and humerus (AMNH FARB 33405) under normal and UV-A lighting
(the latter taken with an orange filter; see Eklund et al., 2018). Skin was prepared in the 1930s. Humerus
figured upon extraction from original plaster jacket, Historical sources indicate coating with shellac during
excavation (see light blue color in UV photo of humerus); some of it flaked off during extraction and minimal
preparation of the humerus. Similar color on the coated skin specimens under UV excitation indicates that
those were coated with shellac upon preparation. Absence of the light blue color in the exposed internal bone
in the humerus demonstrates that penetration of the shellac in the field was minimal. Paraloid B-72 reacts
with a slightly darker blue than shellac, whereas the sediment-Paraloid mixture for the larger breaks (see text)
does not show any unique reaction. Skin remains react with a bright orange. Scale bars for skin and humerus
are of 5 cm and 10 cm, respectively. Photos are copyright by Mike Eklund, used with permission.
Recent reassessment of the specimens revealed that many, but not all, of the bones and
retained skin remains were coated with a substance that produced surface gloss (figs 12, 13).
Although we have not confirmed this chemically, most likely the coating is shellac, probably
the same kind used in the excavations. Under UV excitation, coated skin specimens react in
the same way as the surface of bones we recently extracted from their original plaster jackets,
and for which Brown (1935a) and Bird (1985) reported to have used shellac for consolidation
(fig. 13). Large cracks are filled with a brown to reddish-pink material, which probably repre-
sents colored plaster (fig. 14).
The bones prepared in the 1930s were labeled both with the field number and the newly
assigned specimen number. These marks can be in black or white paint (fig. 14). At least in one
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 17
ae .... of
silicone mold
white field
gloss number
from (correct)
=/ white catalog
~~ number 1930s
(correct)
catalog
red catalog
number
FIGURE 14. Right tibiae AMNH FARB 3030 and AMNH FARB 7547. Note the different preparation and
resulting coloration and gloss of the bones and the fillings used to join breaks. The distal portion of the tibia
AMNH FARB 7547 was erroneously labeled with field number 157 (should be 197) and catalog number
AMNH FARB 7540 (which belongs to a left lower hind limb) in the 1930s, and the error was repeated in the
1990s. Preparation of the distal portion of AMNH FARB 7547 likely happened later than preparation of the
proximal portion or the piece was reprepared subsequently. Photographs by Bruce Javors.
case, the numbering of different parts of a single bone (a right tibia) was botched, erroneously
referring the distal part to AMNH FARB 7540 instead of AMNH FARB 7547 (the correct catalog
number of the bone, marked on the proximal part; fig. 14). These proximal and distal portions
are a near perfect fit, although even the associated field numbers marked on the two portions
were different (197 on the proximal part and 157 on the distal part). A second, complete, left tibia
was also marked with field number 157 and catalog number AMNH FARB 7540, like the distal
portion of the right tibia. When checking the field numbers on the quarry map, section 197 only
included a single right tibia (AMNH FARB 7547) and section 157 only a single left tibia (AMNH
FARB 7540), confirming that the distal half of the right tibia AMNH FARB 7547 was erroneously
labeled AMNH FARB 7540. Since the two parts of tibia AMNH FARB 7547 had been housed in
18 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 15. Portion of the quarry map with A, specimens cataloged in 1930s versus B, individual skeletons
represented within those cataloged specimens. Some material was subsequently recataloged to better represent
the actual association of the bones and their referral to single individuals.
different cabinets in the collections, we rehoused the two in a new drawer in the cabinet that held
the distal portion previously, during the recent conservation project.
The hind limb that was excavated in 1932 had already been prepared in advance of the
1934 expedition and had been cataloged as AMNH FARB 3030 (fig. 14). The specimens pre-
pared immediately after the 1934 excavation, and likely prior to Brown's retirement in 1941,
bear the catalog numbers AMNH FARB 7530 to 7549, as well as AMNH FARB 7551 and pos-
sibly AMNH FF 10702. These numbers, however, do not all represent parts of individual skel-
etons. It is unclear what exactly the reasoning was behind the cataloging at the time; most likely
the numbers follow the section numbers on the plaster jackets, with the exceptions of isolated
teeth (of various taxa, including sauropods and theropods; AMNH FARB 7544) and skin
remains, for which the original association was not known or not recorded at the time of exca-
vation (AMNH FARB 7543; see Brown, 1935a). Two individual skeletons that were found
partly articulated have parts of their bones cataloged in a series of numbers, which also include
bones that do not belong to those partly articulated skeletons. In total, 23 specimens were cata-
loged. These include 21 sauropod specimens, one specimen including sauropod and theropod
teeth and purported gastroliths (AMNH FARB 7544), and a tooth plate of a lungfish (AMNH
FF 10702). In terms of individual skeletons, the specimens prepared in the 1930s belong to at
least 12 (more likely up to 16) distinct sauropod specimens, one fish, and an indeterminate
number of theropods (fig. 15).
NEGLECT (1941 To 1990s)
After Brown retired from the museum in 1941, Howe Quarry definitively shifted out of
curatorial focus. The jackets left in Shell in 1934 were never recovered, and remained behind
the henhouse of the Paton Ranch, where they became covered with poultry dung, and suffered
temperature and moisture changes in the fairly extreme climate of the Bighorn Basin, with very
cold winters, hot summers, and occasionally monsoonal rains (C, and R. Manuel, personal
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 19
PIGURE 16. Crates from the AMNH-Sinclair expeditions in 1934 and 1937. Localities were not marked
on the crates.
commun., 2010, 2016). In the 1950s or 1960s, when the Patons sold their ranch, the new own-
ers did not want to keep the jackets. After several attempts to contact the AMNH, Rowena
Paton (senior) and some of her daughters (including Rowena junior, now Rowena Manuel)
took them to the community dump, where they lined them up around the edge of the dump
(C, and R. Manuel, personal commun., 2010, 2016). Some of this material to be discarded in
the 1960s might actually have been saved from the dump by people from Shell, and eventually
donated to the local museum in Greybull, Wyoming (C. and R. Manuel, personal commun.,
2016). However, this remains impossible to verify. Some bones present in the collections of the
Greybull Museum do have a similar appearance in color and preservation as the AMNH Howe
Quarry material, but the only associated specimen data are notes on who donated the speci-
mens (E.T., personal obs., 2019). Interviews with Wanda Bond, the director of the museum,
and with descendants of Bill Greene, the main donor, did not reveal any additional information
on where and how these bones were collected.
In the years after the Howe Quarry excavation, Brown undertook field expeditions across the
West, including a 1937 season close to Rock Springs, Wyoming, with Bird as a field assistant, also
financed by the Sinclair Oil and Refining Company. Crates from these years were labeled “Ameri-
can Museum of Natural History, New York City” with the year, but without any other specific
information on locality (fig. 16). At a later stage, many of these original crates from different years
and localities that remained to be opened were stored together. Due to a lack of appropriate stor-
age space, these crates (including material from Howe Quarry, from the Rock Springs 1937 expe-
dition, and others as well) were apparently moved several times, and some of them also spent a
considerable amount of time outside in the museum yard, covered with a tarp, where they had
to endure freezing winter temperatures and summer heat. At some point, the wooden crates
stored in the yard caught fire and partially burned. About half of the damaged material was later
20 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
discarded (E. Gaffney, in Dingus and Norell, 2010), whereas the rest was repacked but could not
always be clearly associated with their original locality or year of excavation. The repacked crates
were put into another storage area not meant for collections (a room originally meant for a rifle
range under Margaret Mead Park on the west side of the complex), and suffered additional water
damage, freezing, heat, and the actions of rodents and other pests, until finally several of the
stacked crates gave way under their own weight, collapsed, and telescoped into each other.
RELOCATION, SALVAGING,
AND FIRST SCIENTIFIC STUDIES (1974 TO 2017)
Starting in the 1970s, and even more so during the 1980s and 90s, interest in dinosaurs
surged again, and with it also the awareness of the importance of historical expeditions and
collections. Regarding Howe Quarry, this led to the relocation of the site, complete excavation
by the SMA, and the first scientific studies (mostly based on SMA material). Additionally,
efforts were undertaken at the AMNH to salvage the neglected historical collection.
Two expeditions from other institutions returned to Howe Quarry since the AMNH- Sinclair
Dinosaur Expedition. The first was a field trip of paleontologists Peter Dodson, Anna K. Beh-
rensmeyer, Robert Bakker, and John S$. McIntosh, with Vicki Rowntree and Dawn Dodson in July
1974, They intended to study general Morrison Formation taphonomy (Dodson et al., 1980), but
also recovered a sauropod fibula (YPM VP.007448; Michelis, 2004) and some fragments (YPM
VP.061301; D. Brinkman, personal commun., 2020) at Howe Quarry. A second real excavation
campaign was organized by the SMA in 1990 and 1991, when they recovered 400 to 500 addi-
tional elements, including cranial and postcranial bones, teeth, skin impressions, and footprints.
These finds led to a number of scientific publications (e.g., Brinkmann and Siber, 1992; Czerkas,
1992, 1994; Lockley et al., 1998; Ayer, 2000; Michelis, 2004; Tschopp and Mateus, 2013a, 2013b).
Upon complete exploitation of the Howe Quarry bonebed in 1991, the SMA crew discovered
several additional sites on the Howe Ranch (e.g., Howe-Stephens Quarry, Howe-Scott Quarry,
Spring Hill Quarry) and continued excavations on the property until 2003. Additionally, the SMA
also discovered the Big Al Site just outside the private property on BLM land (Chure and Loewen,
2020), but all these newly discovered sites are from different stratigraphic levels than the historic
Howe Quarry, and should not be confused with it. For instance, Allosaurus jimmadseni MOR 693
(nicknamed Big Al), the specimen that gave the Big Al Site its name, was not found in Howe
Quarry, contrary to what was stated by Chure and Loewen (2020: 2, 4, fig. 2).
SALVAGING (1990 To 2017)
In 1990, water damage and a reassessment of space needs required that all the crates at
AMNH had to be moved. However, because some of them had collapsed and telescoped into
each other, they also had to be repacked, M.A.N., Mick Ellison (AMNH), Ed Heck (now an
AMNH volunteer), and James Clark (now at George Washington University, Washington DC)
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.; RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 21
FIGURE 17. One of the 15 crates repacked in 1990. Several original crates were combined in one, and
their numbers were marked on the repacked crate. Where possible, distinct crate contents were separated
from each other by a sheet of plastic or cardboard (see arrow). Styrofoam chips were used for providing
some protection.
spent 10-20 days moving the fragments from the damaged crates into new ones, which were filled
with Styrofoam peanuts for protection. In some cases, several of the damaged crates were put
together into a single new crate, separated with a sheet of plastic or some cardboard (fig. 17).
Where legible, the number of the original crates (from the 1934 and other expeditions) was writ-
ten on the outside of the new crates, but some of the collapsed crates had already been repacked
after the fire, so those were either not marked with a number at all or the number on them did
not correspond to the original crate number. In fact, one crate was supposed to include the origi-
nal crate number 193 (fig. 17), but only 144 crates were built and sent to New York in 1934. It is
possible that this was a transcription error of “1934,” as the year of collection was generally
marked on the original crates along with the crate number. No note was found in this crate that
would have added any information when we opened it in 2020, and the few preserved original
jackets did not provide enough information to further identify that second crate based on the
field numbers and the historic list of crate contents. In 1990, the contents of the collapsed crates
filled 15 new crates, which contained the contents of up to three damaged crates each. Some of
these repacked crates have yet to be opened, so an exact number of telescoped crates that were
repacked in 1992 is not yet available, but we estimate it to have been 25 to 30. Sadly, several of
the specimens were discarded during this repacking phase as they were damaged beyond repair
and crumbled when moved, or were so contaminated and chewed by rodents that they were
unsalvageable. This amounted to at least 15% of the remaining collection (M.A.N., personal obs.).
Thirty-four old crates that were still intact were moved to another storage area for 10 years
or so, until they were opened between 2003 and 2006 by one of us (C.M.), Jeanne Kelley (then
Preparation Lab Supervisor at AMNH), and volunteer Ryan Kellas. Their contents were moved
into 29 cabinets in the vertebrate paleontology collections of the AMNH. Photographs were
taken from the opened crates and the drawers after moving, as well as additional photographs
of particularly interesting details (fig. 18). Many of the bones in the crates were severely dam-
aged. A few elements from these crates were prepared after that (see below), others were left
untouched until summer 2017.
22 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
i |
Pr horse teeth °
.
*.
FIGURE 18. Documentation procedure during the rehousing project between 2003 and 2006. Photographs
were taken of the crates before unpacking, and of the drawers once rehoused. Interesting details (like the horse
teeth, which clearly cannot be from Howe Quarry; such complex tooth crowns evolved much later than the
Late Jurassic) were photographed as well.
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 23
Howe GQwaAeey
FIGURE 19. Specimens from the three different localities found mingled after the various repacking episodes.
Note the different coloration as well as breakage patterns indicating different diagenetic history. The paper
labels with the four-digit numbers mark the cabinet, where they were housed pre-2017.
Some of the crates opened by C.M. turned out to be from Brown's 1937 “AMNH-Sinclair
expedition,’ which took place in southern Wyoming, in the Upper Cretaceous Mesa Verde
Formation close to Rock Springs, and included shorter trips to Colorado and New Mexico
(B. Brown, unpublished field notes, AMNH VPA-38). Probably due to the fire in the yard
(see above), some of the elements from the various sites have been mingled during the
recrating. In some drawers, there are both dark, nearly black, and well-mineralized bones
(which fit to the usual preservation at Howe Quarry) and whitish, weakly mineralized bones
in a more consolidated, gray matrix, some of which included Cenozoic mammal bones and
teeth. Material from a third site, with reddish to dark gray bones in an extremely consoli-
dated dark matrix, was present as well (fig. 19). Luckily, the preservation modes, and color
of the bones and the sediment were all very distinctive, so that they could all be distin-
guished fairly easily.
Fifteen Howe Quarry specimens bear numbers between AMNH FARB 30070 and 30901,
indicating that they were either prepared or recataloged sometime in the 1990s (AMNH
FARB 30070 and 30071) and 2000s (specimens cataloged with numbers between AMNH
FARB 30783 and 30901; not all of these numbers represent Howe Quarry specimens). These
include a quadrate and another possible skull bone fragment (AMNH FARB 30070) that were
found close to the braincase AMNH FARB 7535, and therefore likely belong to the same
individual (which was tentatively referred to Barosaurus sp. by Tschopp et al., 2015). The
same catalog number was erroneously associated with a series of hadrosaur toe bones and
one tyrannosaur phalanx at some point, although those had actually already been cataloged
as AMNH FARB 30078 previously (this happened because the handwritten “8” looked like
24 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
a 0 with a slash through it; C.M., personal obs. 2010), A partial tail (AMNH FARB 30071)
was also found close to the braincase and associated neck of AMNH FARB 7535, but prob-
ably because association of both the tail and the neck and skull to a single individual was
considered impossible, both the quadrate and the tail were recataloged. Whereas we agree
that the tail cannot be confidently associated with the neck, the quadrate probably can (see
also Tschopp et al., 2015). Unless it can be clearly shown that a number applied to a speci-
men has never been used in any publication, completely changing specimen numbers is
generally not done in order to avoid future confusion (however, see discussion below on
specimens comprising more than one individual), In cases like this quadrate, which are
already apt to cause some confusion, very clear notes about the history and decisions regard-
ing numbering are added to the records of the specimens in question in the AMNH Paleon-
tology Database. In preparation style, both of these recataloged specimens resemble the ones
prepared in the 1930s.
Additional specimens from partial jackets were prepared in 2002, but remained uncata-
loged (6 ribs, 1 chevron, 2 distal fibulae) at the time. These specimens are associated with
printed preparation reports (which are stored with the bones in the collections) identifying
the preparator as Robert L. Evander, a former preparator in the Department of Vertebrate
Paleontology. Evander mostly used Devcon 5-minute Epoxy to join fractures, A distal fibula
(no field number preserved) was first consolidated with Paraloid B-72, before joining breaks
with Devcon 5-minute epoxy. Another distal, left fibula (field number 121) was recently
found to be a near-perfect mirrored element of the right fibula recovered from the adjacent
section 120 and cataloged as AMNH FARB 30875, so the same catalog number was given to
the left fibula. One specimen (a distal rib, field number 193) initially seemed to be the distal
part of a proximal rib from section 193, which had already been cataloged as AMNH FARB
30786, but the near-perfect match between the two elements was apparent only because a
part of the distal shaft of the cataloged rib head had been removed to make histological thin
sections. Once we 3D-printed the missing (thin-sectioned) piece (which was 3D-scanned
before sectioning), and rearticulated it with the original rib, the proximal and distal portions
did not match anymore. However, the combination of them having been found in the same
section of the quarry, being from the same side of the body, and having comparable sizes
and shape makes a convincing case that these are two ribs from a single individual skeleton,
so the uncataloged distal rib was cataloged as AMNH FARB 30786 in early 2020. In addition,
two scapulae initially included in that same catalog number were clearly from a different
individual based on their very small size, Because the rib had already been published in an
extended abstract (Moretti et al., 2018), the two scapulae were later recataloged as AMNH
FARB 33672.
Ina third preparation effort after the 1930s and 2002, several specimens were prepared
and cataloged between 2009 and 2012 (these specimens bear numbers between AMNH
FARB 30783 and 30901). In some cases, these are associated with printed photographs
documenting the bones while still in the original jackets, which are stored in the collec-
tions together with the specimens (fig. 20), Few of the photographs show the field number
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 25
FIGURE 20, Photographic record of the curation history of a scapula (AMNH FARB 33672). Photographs of
original crate 11 (upper left; from 1934) before unpacking in October 2004, the contents of the crate (upper
right), details of the jacket once opened (lower left), and the entire scapula after preparation in the 2000s, in its
form-fitted plaster support (lower right). Both the right and left scapula of the same individual were found in
section 193, the scapula shown on the right could be from either of the two jackets marked with a red asterisk
in the lower left. Both of these small scapulae were recataloged during the current conservation program as they
were obviously not from the same individual as two large ribs cataloged as AMNH FARB 30786 in the past.
on the jacket, but the latter can be found on photographs taken from the crates when
opened between 2003 and 2006 (see above), which show that most of them came out of
the original 1934 crate 11, one of the few crates that had remained pristine until then. The
field number was noted on the specimen tags and the bones were labeled directly with
both the field and the catalog numbers. The preparators (volunteers Jim Klausen and Steve
Cohen) and time of preparation and cataloging of these specimens were recorded in the
collection database. The specimens have their small breaks joined with a transparent,
glossy adhesive, probably epoxy, and the large fractures with a white or greenish material,
which likely represents some type of paste epoxy. The field and catalog numbers were
written on labels adhered to the bone following a method outlined by Davidson et al.
(2006), where a layer of Paraloid B-72 is covered with white paint, the number is written
onto the paint with a black archival pen, and the entire label is covered and sealed with a
second layer of Paraloid B-72. Catalog numbers were attributed to the specimens based on
their field number (e.g., all the jackets prepared with field number 193 were cataloged as
AMNH FARB 30786). This third episode of preparation produced 12 newly cataloged
specimens and a total of 30 bones, which belong to at least 10 individual skeletons (prob-
ably more; fig. 21). As with the cataloged specimens in the 1930s, a few of these new cata-
log numbers initially included bones from several distinct individual skeletons, some of
26 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 21. Portion of the quarry map with A, specimens cataloged in 2000s versus B, individual skeletons
represented within those cataloged specimens. Some material was subsequently recataloged to better represent
the actual association of the bones and their referral to single individuals (e.g., the small scapulae in the center
right, see also fig. 20).
which were recataloged during the recent conservation project, and the history of catalog-
ing is recorded in the collection database.
A number of bones from the Howe Quarry were molded and cast at some point in time.
Casts were apparently made of the tibia of AMNH FARB 3030 as can be recognized by silicone
marks on the bone (fig. 14), but no records exist of this in the database or in other departmen-
tal documents. The skull and neck of AMNH FARB 7530 was cast to create a small, composite
skeleton of a “baby Barosaurus” for the spectacular exhibit of the rearing Barosaurus protecting
its offspring from an approaching Allosaurus in the main entrance of the museum. According
to the FARB collection database, at least parts of AMNH FARB 7535 were molded and cast as
well, but it remains unclear for what purpose.
RECENT CONSERVATION PROJECT (SINCE 2017)
STATE OF CONSERVATION BEFORE THE PROJECT
At the beginning of the project, an inventory was made by E.T., C.M., and Jacopo Moretti
(then a Master’s candidate at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy, on an intern-
ship at AMNH), to check collection records for accuracy, and add details for the uncataloged
specimens from Howe Quarry, where possible. In total, there were 37 cataloged specimens,
only two of which were identified to genus, whereas the others had higher-taxon identifications
noted in the database (e.g., Sauropoda, Dinosauria). Thirty-three cataloged specimens had
associated field numbers, but only 19 of those were noted in the database. Data associated with
the cataloged specimens included their taxonomy, if a cast of the specimen was produced,
locality, horizon, names of the collectors, year of collection, field number, description of con-
tents, and storage location. Apart from the cataloged specimens, unprepared, putative Howe
Quarry material was housed in 15 repacked crates from the 1990s, plus 29 collection cabinets
resulting from the rehousing project between 2003 and 2006, and five large plaster jackets
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 27
FIGURE 22. Purported Howe Quarry jackets that were found to be from the 1937 expeditions due to crate
markings and the fact that section 8 in the Howe Quarry map did not include any bones. Photographs by
C.M., October 2004.
28 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
(AMNH FARB collection database, 2017), The first inventory included a detailed assessment
of the 29 cabinets with the unprepared material rehoused between 2003 and 2006. Such an
assessment was necessary to identify which cabinets included specimens from the crates that
held specimens from several localities and were combined after part of them burned in the
yard. Of the initial number of 29 cabinets with putative, unprepared Howe Quarry material,
21 were found to house actual Howe Quarry material, whereas the other eight did not. Thanks
to this assessment, we also realized that at least two of the separately stored, putative Howe
Quarry jackets were from some other historical expedition; the numbers on the jackets (8) were
lower than the lowest section number on the Howe Quarry map (9) and photographs taken of
the original crate confirmed they were from the 1937 expedition (fig. 22).
The state of preservation of the bones in these cabinets varied substantially. Some cabinets
housed nicely preserved, complete plaster jackets, on which the field numbers could be recog-
nized easily, Other jackets were damaged, and the field numbers were only partly present,
completely broken away, or had become illegible. Many of the original jackets were entirely
broken, and their contents were spread over the drawers as bone fragments of greatly varying
sizes (fig. 18). One cabinet held three plastic garbage bags filled with minute bone and other
fragments, Based on this, we decided to begin the project with the cabinets with the best-
preserved jackets and largest fragments,
In order to process the unprepared material efficiently, the drawers from the cabinets were
moved to the Vertebrate Paleontology laboratory, one cabinet at the time. Thus, the risk of
disassociation of the bones with their home in the collections was minimized. Also, doing so
facilitated a first round of matching fragments.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
A volunteer program was set in place to move the project forward. Many of the tasks were
fairly easy and did not require any previous experience or extensive training. These included the
various steps in preparation and conservation (see below), finding fits, documentation, and cura-
torial tasks such as creating housing and the physical numbering of the newly prepared and cata-
loged specimens. Prospective volunteers were first shown around the lab to explain the entire
project and the various tasks that would need additional help. If they were interested in the
project, we tried to find the best-fitting task for each volunteer, and provided specific training for
this task. If, at some point, a volunteer wanted to fulfill additional tasks, or if some other task
required more help at a particular point in time, training was provided for the new technique,
Since July 2017, 14 volunteers were involved with the project at different times and for
different durations. These are (in alphabetical order): Wayne Callahan, Pedro Galindo, David
Geiger, Fanny Guex, Ed Heck, Bruce Javors, Roberto Lei, Ayo Lewis, David Ludwig, Juan Mar-
tinez, Wayne Mones, Jacopo Moretti, Enrica Sarotto, and Danging Zhu. Supervision was shared
between E,T., C.M., and AMNH Department of Vertebrate Paleontology Preparators Amy
Davidson and Verne Lee. Three to five volunteers were generally active during the same time
period, and up to a maximum of four volunteers could work in the lab contemporaneously
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 29
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and installed by A. Davidson, Photographs by A, Davidson,
without interfering with each other. However, most volunteers came in on a specific day during
the week for about three to five hours, so mostly, only one or two volunteers were present at
any specific time. Seven volunteers mainly assisted in preparation and conservation (Galindo,
Guex, Heck, Martinez, Ludwig, Lei, Sarotto), four with documentation (Javors, Lewis, Moretti,
Zhu), and three with curatorial tasks (Callahan, Geiger, Mones).
LABORATORY CONDITIONS
Humidity in the lab is 20%-30%, as measured by a standard humidity indicator card. Tem-
perature is 24°-27° C. The dry, warm conditions speed the evaporation of the acetone and etha-
nol, helping the used adhesives and consolidants (Paraloid B-72 and Butvar B-76; see Preparation)
to harden to the point where it can resist rinsing with water, but probably not soaking.
New York City tap water has a high percentage of chlorine. Given that Howe Quarry has
been known to produce soft-tissue impressions (Brown, 1935a; Czerkas, 1992), we installed a
water filter so potential contamination that could influence future geochemical analyses could
be avoided. The filter used was an Inline Catalytic Carbon Garden Hose Filter from Ideal H,O
— Premium Water Filtration Systems, which purifies up to 8000 gallons of water, and which we
applied directly to the tap. By using a flexible Loc-Line modular hose system we redirected the
flow back into the sink while saving as much desk space as possible (fig. 23).
30 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
1 ae a,
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FIGURE 24. Restoration of field numbers under the microscope: microscope setup with plaster jacket (left)
and close-up of number on jacket (right). The original ink has sometimes faded, and the number can be dam-
aged. Restoration is done after gentle, dry cleaning, enhancing the original ink until a clear outline could be
seen. Photographs by A. Davidson.
UNPACKING
Unpacking mostly involved removing bones and fragments from original plaster jackets.
Additionally, in early 2020, a project was started to open the 15 remaining wooden crates that
were repacked in 1990.
The original plaster jackets were marked with field numbers that indicated the number of
the section on the quarry map from where these bones were removed. These field numbers
were applied mostly with black paint. In some cases, the numbers faded or became covered
with additional layers of plaster during the excavation or dust, dirt, and mold in the collections.
The dust could be cleaned using brushes, and additional layers of plaster could be removed
carefully with small scrapers and spatulae. Cleaning with water damaged the original ink used,
therefore faded numbers had to be cleaned very carefully below the microscope to detect traces
of ink and restore them (fig. 24). Restoration of these numbers was crucial to track as many
bones as possible on the original quarry map, and potentially recognize elements belonging to
a single skeleton. In many cases, the jackets were damaged, so that only a part of the number
was preserved. However, by going through all the possible squares in the grid, looking for the
bones preserved, we were often able to identify the correct one.
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.; RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 31
tissue impregnated Paraloid B-72 in low ee water-resistant
with Paraloid B-72 solution with acetone
slowly applied to. . -
MIAO MVO Ig ,
\ for consolidation
: -
Pas
la :
Y
water-
Pamela
FIGURE 25. Restoration and consolidation of small fragments using Paraloid B-72. Small fragments can be
held together with impregnated tissue (left), whereas small cracks can be consolidated with highly diluted
Paraloid slowly applied with a syringe (center), Both techniques leave the specimen water-resistant (right).
Photographs by A. Davidson,
The plaster and burlap had often become so weak and brittle that they could easily be
broken or picked off by hand and with minimal application of force, easing separation from
the bones, Where this was not possible, we used scissors, knives, and/or Dremel tools to cut
through the plaster and burlap.
Some bones were packed in wool or cotton and wrapped with newspaper. Whereas the
strings to keep them together were generally still in good condition, the newspaper was brittle
(fig. 7). In some cases, there was limited mold growth. Where possible, we tried to keep the
newspaper intact, at least the portions with the date and the name of the newspaper.
Most bones in the original jackets and newspaper packages were moderately to heavily frag-
mented, but often still in connection. This likely resulted from the extensively cracked state in which
they were discovered as shown by some of the photos from 1934, Most of the bones had been
consolidated and coated with shellac in the field in 1934 (Brown, 1935a; Bird, 1985), but this appar-
ently was not enough to withstand the many decades of time in inappropriate storage conditions.
For example, the coating was observed to flake off the bones either spontaneously, or upon gentle
scratching with a scalpel, a shellac issue that has been known for some time (e.g., Brothwell, 1993;
Linares Soriano and Carrascosa Moliner, 2016). Also, in some instances, the coating has turned
somewhat violet in color; it is unclear what caused this kind of discoloration.
When unpacking the original plaster jacket, most of the bones required immediate stabiliza-
tion due to the extensive cracking. In heavily fractured parts, we stabilized the fragments by
covering them with tissue paper impregnated with Paraloid B-72 in an approximately 20% solu-
tion of acetone, applied from nail polish containers with the incorporated small brush (fig. 25),
or directly with pipettes. After drying, the tissue coating was also resistant to washing with water.
Slightly less complex damage was stabilized and preliminarily consolidated by applying the same
solution with a syringe into visible narrow cracks (following Davidson and Alderson, 2009; Rou-
bach et al., 2014; fig. 25). Wide cracks were stabilized with a mixture of pulverized sediment and
a Paraloid B-72 solution in acetone or ethanol, adapting the viscosity to fit the width and depth
32 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
* -#
FIGURE 26, Mixture of pulverized sediment with highly diluted Paraloid B-72 (left) creates a strong gap filler
for larger cracks (right), without adding extraneous filler material. It also remains soluble in acetone (center)
and can be removed mechanically. Photographs by A. Davidson.
of the cracks needing stabilization (fig. 26), a technique that has been developed by Davidson
(2009). The stabilized bones were left to set overnight to become strong enough to handle. The
sediment was taken from the original Howe Quarry material, and ground with a glass mortar in
a ceramic bowl. This material can be dissolved again in acetone, or removed mechanically, with
a needle, air scribe, or grinder, Once stabilized, the bone was extracted from the package or jacket.
In early 2020, E.T. and C.M, started to open the repacked crates from the 1990s with
volunteers Martinez and Sarotto. In order to do this systematically, the crates were marked
with letters from A to O based on their position in the collections. Following the protocol
developed for the 2003-2006 rehousing project by C.M., we photographed each crate from
the outside, started to clear the bones from the covering Styrofoam chips, took a second
photograph from the contents within the crate (where two or three crates were repacked into
a single crate, this shot was taken for every distinguishable layer), and moved the bone frag-
ments into drawers lined with a thin layer of ethafoam. A final photograph was taken of the
complete drawer (fig. 27). In addition to the previous workflow, we separated the bones into
vertebrae, ribs, and appendicular bones (preferably each of them in separate drawers, space
allowing) and attempted to find matches among the fragments. Preserved original plaster
jackets were put into their own drawers, because their contents were not always clearly iden-
tifiable. Fragments that belonged to a single bone were stored together in specimen trays and
marked with red pencil where the fit was not evident due to a complex fracture pattern, The
contents of the drawers were noted in a spreadsheet, and notes were added to the drawers
themselves to facilitate future preparation and conservation endeavors. These handwritten
notes were later replaced with printed labels, using archival ink and paper so they would
survive long-term storage if necessary.
RINSING
Numerous fragments in the cabinets with the rehoused material from 2003-2006 were
disassociated from any jacket, often without any obvious connection to other fragments. These
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 33
FIGURE 27. Recent rehousing efforts of 1990s crates and accompanying documentation. The repacked crate
is photographed from the outside (A) and inside (B) before unpacking, and the drawers are photographed
before moving them into the collection cabinets (C-E). Original crate (or “box”) numbers were noted on the
repacked crate (A), and where two or more original crates were transferred into a single repacked crate, the
contents of the original crates were separated with cardboard or plastic (B). During the recent rehousing, notes
are included in the drawers (C-E) to facilitate future efforts in finding matches, and fragments that were
already realized to belong to a single bone are stored together in trays.
were often very dusty, so that a first step in the initial preparation workflow involved rinsing
and brushing. Varying brush resistance was created by cutting the bristles to various lengths.
When soaking the fragment for some time in water, and then brushing it under flowing water
with a relatively hard brush, we could also remove some of the more silty sediment from the
bone. The initial aim here was to clear the fractured surface, so that it would be easier to find
a match. However, one of our volunteers, Galindo, later realized that the color, texture, and
distribution of the sediment on the bone provided additional clues for finding a match, so the
work could be done more efficiently with no soaking and less rinsing. Distinct breakage pat-
terns in the sediment even helped to identify different bones that were initially found articu-
lated, and were likely taken up as a block, with several bones in a single plaster jacket. Moreover,
it later turned out that some of the “sediment” attached to the bones actually represents pre-
34 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 28. The articulated partial pes AMNH FARB 33152 (left) was photographed before disarticulation.
Close-up of paper label applied to one element (right) indicates number of collection cabinet (1063), field
number (#164), and bone ID (PHP II-2). PHP II-2 refers to the second phalanx of the second digit of the pes.
The paper label is adhered and sealed with Paraloid B-72 in 20% acetone and withstands rinsing with water.
served soft tissue (Tschopp et al., 2019a), so the change in the workflow also saved those occur-
rences from destruction.
LABELING
Initially, in order to keep the association with the original crates as much as possible, we planned
to label every single fragment with its crate number, where available. However, this proved to be
impossible, because the numbers of many of the original crates faded through time and could not
be restored during repacking of some crates in 1990 and the subsequent opening of the rest in the
2000s. Also, many of these crates did not have a number at all and were apparently repacked after
the incident in the yard. This early repacking after the incident also means that any number written
on those repacked crates did not necessarily correspond to the original crate numbers from 1934.
Therefore, we instead opted to label the fragments with the number of the cabinet where they were
stored (numbers ranging from 1041 to 1076, as well as 727 and 728 for material rehoused between
2003 and 2006, and 513 to 521 for the material rehoused since the beginning of 2020; fig. 19). Where
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 35
FIGURE 29. Section of map (left) with two new ischia (right) assigned to historic specimen AMNH FARB
7533. The ischia (green arrows) were identified thanks to the field numbers #196 and #197 which were visible
on the remains of the original plaster jackets recovered during the recent conservation project. The ischia are
shown in lateral view, acetabular surface toward the top. Photography by B. Javors.
we had a field number (only in cases in which the fragments were still associated with at least part
of the original plaster jacket), we added the field number to the label using the symbol # in front of
the two- to three-digit number of the square where they were found (e.g., #156). Where possible
and reasonable in terms of available space on the bone, we added a label with our identification of
the bone (e.g., “php I-1, R” for a right, proximal, pedal phalanx of the first digit; fig. 28). A key was
produced to explain and illustrate these different types of labels, and the independent numbering
systems, with the aim to help researchers studying the material in future understand and interpret
the undertaken conservation work (see supplementary material at doi.org/10.5531/sd.sp.42).
The paper labels adhered to the bones were either printed with archival ink or handwritten with
archival pens on archival paper. The labels were applied on a clean portion of the bone surface, where
available. They were cut on the long sides and ripped by hand on the short side to increase the
strength of attachment through the exposed paper fibers. In order to best adhere to an irregular
surface, we crumpled the label to make it more flexible. We first applied a layer of Paraloid B-72 (20%
in acetone) with a nail polish brush, adhered the label, and covered it with a second layer of Paraloid
as protection, Labels adhered and protected like this also withstood rinsing with water (fig. 28).
PUZZLE
Some of the crates included bones from at least two to three sites, as recognized by the
matrix, labeling of the plaster jackets, and color and preservation of the bones (fig. 19). This
mingling complicated the reassembling of separated fragments, because on top of recognizing
the bones themselves, we also had to separate elements from different quarries. The bones from
Howe Quarry are generally well preserved and of a dark, almost black color. The sediment is
36 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
brown areas
of bone contact
wos
FIGURE 30. Brown marks in areas where bones were in contact during fossilization. The marks allowed
identification of articulated bones, as in this case metatarsals I and II from the pes AMNH FARB 33304, The
metatarsals are shown in dorsal and lateral view (metatarsal I; left), and medial and dorsal view (metatarsal
I; right). Photographs by B. Javors.
rather muddy, relatively soft, and mostly gray to green. Elements from other sites have a yellow
color and are relatively light and soft, within a very hard matrix that also preserves marine
fossils. A third site is indicated by large blocks of very hard sediment, packed in only one to
two layers of burlap and plaster, and numbered with a one- or two-digit number, separated by
a hyphen. At Howe Quarry, jackets were numbered only with the number of the square they
were found in (Bird, 1985) and sometimes with an added letter (often “X”), which indicated
that the bone was taken up in at least two pieces (figs 20, 24).
After having identified the Howe specimens, we conducted three rounds of finding
matches, The first round was made with only the fragments from a single cabinet, assuming
that at least some spatial context of fragments of a single bone was preserved during the
recrating of the specimens after the fire and the telescoping of the original crates in storage.
Subsequently, we separated the elements into axial versus appendicular bones, and (where
possible) identified them even further to facilitate the second step of the puzzle (as was done
in the Bristol Dinosaur Project; Viegas and Benton, 2014). During this phase, we combined
fragments from different cabinets on tables in the lab, and indeed found matching pieces that
were initially stored in different cabinets and hence also in different crates before the rehous-
ing (see Salvaging). Finally, we attempted to identify bones that belong to a single skeleton.
The elements that were preserved in their original plaster jackets could be retraced on Bird’s
quarry map, which led to the identification of some elements being part of specimens that
had already been prepared and cataloged previously (e.g., two ischia that were found articu-
lated with the sacrum AMNH FARB 7533; fig. 29). Bones or bone fragments that were not
— ee Cr
FIGURE 31. Bones recovered disassociated in the collections but found to have been articulated in the field.
Two caudal vertebrae are interpreted as two adjacent elements in a series based on their size, general shape,
and matching deformation and sediment breakage pattern of the joint articular surface, The metacarpal and
the phalanx are interpreted to be from a single manus because they were recovered from the same cabinet,
they match in size, and have a very similar color that is slightly different from most of the other Howe Quarry
bones in that drawer, indicating that they were initially articulated and packed in the same plaster jacket.
Photographs by B. Javors.
2020
TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY
37
38 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
associated with original plaster jackets were more difficult to attribute to a specific skeleton.
Often, elements from the same skeletal region and of compatible size to pertain to a single
skeleton were found in the same cabinets or even drawers, suggesting that they derived from
a single, deteriorated plaster jacket. However, unambiguous attribution was almost never
possible. In rare cases, bones that were preserved articulated bore dark brown marks where
the two articulating elements were in contact (fig. 30). These marks allowed us to attribute
several metapodials to their respective manus or pes, for instance. In some vertebrae, distinc-
tive cracks in the sediment adhering to the articular surfaces and a comparable extent of
deformation allowed us to identify sequential elements of a vertebral column (fig, 31). Finally,
some bones found together in a single cabinet were encased in a thin layer of matrix with a
distinct color rarely observed in other Howe specimens, so the likelihood that they were
originally from a single skeleton was fairly high (fig. 31).
Bone fragments found to be part of a single bone were stored in specimen boxes and the
fitting surfaces were marked with a red or green color pencil to facilitate reassembling the
pieces later (see Preparation). Also, once several bones of a single skeleton were identified as
belonging together, those elements were kept in cardboard specimen boxes, and finally put into
collection housings (see Curation),
PREPARATION
Bones preserved in articulation within an original jacket that were intended to be disar-
ticulated were documented with photographs before taking them apart and cleaning and pre-
paring them separately (fig. 28). Association with the other bones was also recorded in a
spreadsheet, and on paper tags kept with the bones themselves. Since several people would
often work on the same material at different times, clear communication about association of
bones and/or fragments was crucial.
Preparation was minimal and done mechanically. The rinsing was generally only done with
fragments that were preserved disassociated from their original plaster jackets. Before the dis-
covery that the adhering sediment was helpful in finding fits (in early 2018) and could in fact
represent soft tissue in some instances (in early 2019), some bones were partially prepared
using needles, scalpels, and air scribes. Air abrasion was attempted on a few elements in
December 2018 under guidance of Mike Eklund, but the time investment to find the correct
combination of air pressure and type and amount of abrasive powder to efficiently prepare the
bones was deemed too high, In one specimen of three articulated caudal vertebrae in a jacket
(AMNH FARB 33158), separation of the sediment from the bones was nearly perfect, leaving
only a thin layer of matrix with a slightly orange hue on the bones themselves. In order to have
the dark bone stand out from the grayish sediment, we started to clean that thin orange layer
from the bones using ethanol on a piece of cloth (similar to a technique used on a fossil turtle
in Spain; Roubach et al., 2014). However, once we analyzed the specimen under UV, the cleaned
surface did not react to UV excitation, whereas much of the bones covered with the orange
layer did (fig. 32), indicating potential preservation of some kind of soft tissue, which had been
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 39
"Ae
YN
a
surface cleaned = 1
with cloth soaked == Sk a
ty Sas
in ethanol FPP
=
a erin a. 4
Bie
FIGURE 32. Caudal vertebrae AMNH FARB 33158 under normal (above) and UV light (below). The pho-
tograph under UV light was taken under combined UV-A, B, and C wavelengths, with an orange filter (see
Eklund et al., 2018 for more details). The outlines of the three vertebrae and the chevron are highlighted
in black. Note the cleaned bone surface and its distinct reaction to UV compared to portions that remain
covered with a thin layer of sediment. The reaction indicates potential preservation of soft tissue. Photo-
graphs by M. Eklund.
AQ) AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
cleaned off with the ethanol. Once we learned about the potential presence of soft tissue, we
almost completely restricted preparation to fracture surfaces, where gypsum crystals and other
adjoining matrix created loose fits and hindered proper application of Paraloid B-72 in order
to adhere matching fragments.
We opted to adhere matching fragments as extensively as possible, because the risk of los-
ing the association of fragments in future due to moving specimens for collection and research
purposes would be too high. Adhesion was mostly done using Paraloid B-72 in a 50% solution
with acetone (following Koob, 1986; Davidson and Alderson, 2009; Davidson and Brown, 2012;
Russell and Strilisky, 2016), On large fractured surfaces, we generally first applied a weaker
solution, or pure acetone or ethanol to the fractured surfaces, which would facilitate penetra-
tion of the bone by the 50% solution through capillary action. Although penetration is gener-
ally not recommended because it is not easily reversible and could potentially impact the
original geochemistry of the bone (Davidson and Alderson, 2009; Schulp et al., 2013), some
penetration is welcome in cases of large sauropod bones, because these glued pieces will have
to bear considerable weight if they have to be handled for research or other reasons. In order
to increase adhesion in these cases, we pulled apart and rejoined fragments repeatedly to more
equally distribute the adhesive across the fractured surface and develop tack, following Koob
(1986) and Davidson and Brown (2012), Smaller fragments with near-perfect fits were adhered
with a 20% solution of Paraloid B-72 in acetone or ethanol.
Given the potential for preserved soft tissue with specific geochemistries, consolidation of
the bones was limited as much as possible so as to avoid interference with future scientific
analyses (Davidson and Alderson, 2009). However, in some cases, consolidation was necessary,
and was generally done with Butvar B-76 in a 20% ethanol solution (or less frequently acetone).
Cases where this procedure was necessary included bones whose external surfaces were flaking
off or whose numerous minute cracks were destabilizing them. Butvar B-76 was used in these
cases because it does not produce a shiny surface when dry. Application of such a liquid con-
solidant to a strongly fractured bone initially increases the risk of destabilization while capillary
forces pull the consolidant into the cracks. A stable support is therefore necessary for much of
the drying process (Russell and Strilisky, 2016), to avoid the disintegration of the fossil. For
this purpose, the bone fragment was put on a support (e.g., sand box or bags, or a custom-
made support with heavy duty aluminum foil) before the procedure, which would hold it in
place while the consolidant was drying (at least 24 hours, preferably more).
In large, heavy bones (mostly appendicular bones like tibiae and fibulae), adhering all
the broken surfaces was sometimes impractical, and it was not guaranteed that the adhe-
sive would be able to withstand the heavy weight of the complete bone. Also, some of these
a BEC lt
FIGURE 33, Ulna (AMNH FARB 33667; field number #155), housed in two pieces, We chose to keep the ulna
in two parts because it will be easier to handle for curatorial purposes, and this way it fits in a drawer. The
fractured surfaces (see cross section) were partially freed from adhering gypsum crystals using needles, and
then consolidated with Butvar B-76, which makes the surface look slightly wet, but avoids gloss. The layer of
Butvar will protect the surfaces when the two pieces are joined to take pictures or measurements for research
purposes (see complete ulna; break where pieces are joined indicated with arrows). Photographs by B. Javors
(cross section and complete ulna) and E,T. (ulna in ethafoam housing).
4]
TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY
2020
gypsum
crystals
42 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
elements would be too large to be stored in a drawer of a collection cabinet. In these cases,
we opted to keep bones in two or three parts that could be stored safely in one drawer (fig.
33). However, because broken pieces will have to be assembled for measurement or other
analyses for research purposes by visiting scientists in future, the fractured surfaces had
to be protected from damage through bone-to-bone contact. In order to do so, these sur-
faces were covered with a thin layer of Butvar B-76 (to avoid gloss) in a 20% solution (or
less, for more penetration), which was applied using pipettes and wipes to evenly distribute
the adhesive across the surfaces.
DOCUMENTATION
Once prepared, and before going back to their home in the collections, the elements were
documented using photography, measurements, and in some cases 3D scanning. Photography
was done with the help of Ellison, Nicole Wong, Eklund, and volunteer Javors. Various cameras
were used to produce images in the six cardinal views, where possible. Some heavy and/or
fragile elements could be feasibly photographed only in a limited amount of views.
Some elements (in particular specimens where associated soft tissue was expected) were
documented using the Progressive Photonics workflow established by Eklund et al. (2018).
This workflow consists of 17+ photographs taken under normal frontal and oblique lighting,
polarized light, and UV light with three different wavelengths (UV A, B, and C) separately
and again with the three wavelengths combined, both with and without an orange filter that
subtracts some of the excess blue in the original photograph. ‘These photos were saved as
digital negatives (DNG files), and were not modified in any way with photo-editing software
in order to preserve the original metadata of the camera settings and color range of the reac-
tion of the various materials to UV excitation. Photographs taken under UV light, in particu-
lar, also helped to understand details of the excavation and preparation history of some
elements, such as the coating and consolidation of historic specimens (fig. 13; see also Baeza
et al., 2016).
Measurements were taken with a caliper and/or tape measure. These followed standard
measurements and protocols used in sauropod research and/or phylogenetic matrices (see
e.g., Hatcher, 1901, 1903; Riggs, 1903; Janensch, 1961; Bonnan, 2001; Wilhite, 2003; Upchurch
et al., 2004; McIntosh, 2005; Curry Rogers, 2009; Sekiya, 2011; Mocho et al., 2014; Royo-
Torres et al., 2014; Poropat et al., 2015; Tschopp et al,, 2015, 2019b; Carballido et al., 2017;
Tschopp and Mateus, 2017; Mannion et al., 2017, 2019), In many cases, complete measure-
ments were impossible because of the incompleteness of the bones themselves. Here, mea-
surements were taken to represent the maximally preserved dimension, or measurements of
one complete half were doubled to estimate total transverse width in bilaterally symmetrical
elements. The measurements are stored in a spreadsheet with comments indicating issues
due to incompleteness.
Bones chosen for subsequent study including potentially destructive sampling (e.g., histol-
ogy) were 3D scanned, using a surface scanner or a CT scanner. However, since this report is
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 43
restricted to the preparation and conservation project and the 3D scans are mainly for research
purposes, and not simply documentation, details on these techniques and the devices will be
given in the respective research papers.
A spreadsheet was produced with the aim to list every bone recovered or recorded at the
quarry. A first list was compiled based on Bird’s final quarry map, which was subsequently
annotated and completed using the original field drawings in the archives of the AMNH
Research Library (AMNH DR 202), and information gleaned from the recent preparation
and conservation project. The spreadsheet records: (1) the section(s) of the quarry where the
bone was recovered, (2) what kind of bone it is, (3) what number the plaster jacket was
marked with, (4) the possible original crates in which it was packed (it was often impossible
to identify the exact crate), (5) the catalog number attached to this bone, (6) whether the
bone is drawn on the compiled map, (7) spatial relationships of the bone with others in cases
when several bones of the same kind were recovered from a single section, or when the single
bone was part of an articulated skeleton, (8) any field notes associated with a particular bone,
(9) historical photos on which the bone can be identified, (10) whether the bone was present
and identified at AMNH, (11) where it was located pre-2017 and currently, (12) when and
by whom it was prepared, photographed, measured, and 3D scanned (and how), (13) whether
the bone was sampled for histology and/or geochemistry, and (14) who created the housing
and applied the catalog numbers to the bone. Where known, taxonomy was noted, as well
as in how many pieces the element is preserved, and also any other comment deemed inter-
esting was added. Finally, if the bone was mentioned in some scientific publication, refer-
ences to those are listed as well.
Given the collection’s history, many bones prepared now could not be identified on the
quarry map, because they were not associated with their original plaster jacket, and section
numbers were not written directly on the bone during the excavation. These newly pre-
pared bones could therefore not be associated with an entry in the above spreadsheet,
which was based on the quarry map itself. Hence, a second spreadsheet was created with
the same columns for the elements for which the quarry section was unknown or that
could not be unambiguously identified because several bones of the same type were recov-
ered in a single section. Given that specimens were probably historically cataloged based
on the jacket in which they were packed (see above), a third spreadsheet had to be created
listing individual skeletons, and which part of what catalog number constituted a single
individual skeleton. Ideally, the AMNH Division of Paleontology prefers to give a single
specimen number to a single organism, but the paleohistory and postexcavation history of
Howe Quarry make this especially challenging. Finally, the cataloged sauropod specimens
are continuously added to the Morrison Formation Sauropod Consensus (Tschopp et al.,
2019c), which is a freely available online spreadsheet of sauropod specimens from the
Morrison Formation in museum collections worldwide. All these spreadsheets are a work
in progress but are available from the first author upon request. Their structure and con-
tent is also further explained in the keys available as supplementary materials (doi.
org/10.5531/sd.sp.42).
so AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 34. Creation of plaster supports for safe storage in collection. A cervical vertebra (AMNH FARB
33153) was prepared in its original jacket (upper left) and stabilized using Paraloid B-72 mixed with pulver-
ized sediment for large cracks. A sheet of plastic is used as a separator (upper right), and to protect the speci-
men from increased humidity after application of wet toilet paper (lower left) and medical plaster bandages
(lower right). The toilet paper serves as padding, whereas the plaster provides the necessary stability. Photo-
graphs by A. Davidson.
CURATION
New form-fitted plaster jackets were created for bones that, due to an increased risk of
damage caused by their own weight, could not be supported uniformly on a flat surface. These
jackets were made with plaster bandages on wet toilet-paper padding, with a plastic sheet as
separator to avoid wetting the specimen (fig. 34). Original jackets were reinforced if necessary,
or, if still well preserved and stable, kept as is.
Collections housings for newly prepared Howe Quarry specimens vary depending on the
size of the element. Even though nearly all the bones are from sauropods, most of the bones
the project has so far dealt with are shorter than our collection drawers so we are able to house
them in the controlled environment of closed cabinets. A few elements that would not have fit
in a drawer when completely reconstructed were kept in two or three separate pieces. In cases
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 45
where the broken surfaces were not a perfect match for each other, paper labels were adhered
to the bone to indicate how the different fragments articulate (see keys in supplementary mate-
rial: doi.org/10.5531/sd.sp.42).
The larger bones, particularly long bones and vertebrae, are especially prone to breakage
compared to the generally compact smaller bones, and thus require extra support. Beds are
crafted for these bones by carving a well that is shaped like the bone'’s footprint into a plank of
ethafoam and lining it with polyester batting for cushioning overlain by a Tyvek sheet to pro-
vide a smooth surface that will not snag the specimen (see also Vila et al., 2014), This Tyvek
sheet is secured to the ethafoam base by pushing its entire loose edge into an encircling slot
cut just outside the perimeter of the well. Securing it in this way removes the need for any
adhesives that might prove nonarchival in the future. Hand slots are provided for easy access
to the most sensible places to lift the specimen out of its bed. In cases where the correct posi-
tion in which to return a bone once it has been removed from its bed is ambiguous or easily
forgotten, photos of the specimen in its bed are attached to the bed. A paper label attached to
the bed also provides information concerning the identification of the bones, taxonomy, prov-
enance, and field number, When several bones of a single specimen are identified, where fea-
sible, a single bed was crafted for all of them, in order to physically maintain the association
of the bones in the collections as well. In such a case, paper labels are printed with archival ink
on archival paper, in addition to the photo, to be as specific as possible concerning which bone
belongs where in the mount. The photo and the paper labels are put into Mylar sleeves that are
slightly wider than the labels, and attached to the bed by folding the empty edges of the Mylar
sleeves and pushing them into slots cut into the ethafoam (fig. 35).
The smaller compact bones, generally hand and foot bones, are housed in archival card-
board specimen trays lined with thin sheets of ethafoam. If several elements or fragments are
housed in a single tray enough room is provided so that the individual pieces do not touch and
measures are taken to mitigate rolling,
CATALOGING
Some newly prepared specimens were cataloged as part of historic specimens (e.g., the two ischia
of AMNH FARB 7533) or of specimens that were prepared more recently (but still before the recent
project started). We opted to do so in cases where attribution to a single skeleton was completely
unambiguous based on the location in the quarry map (ie., the bones were articulated), or where an
origin from a single skeleton was highly likely due to general vicinity in the quarry and fitting size
and shape. (For instance, a second rib now cataloged with the rib AMNH FARB 30786, both from
section 193, is of such a similar size and shape that at some point we were convinced they were two
parts of a single rib, separated by a short gap. This resulted to be incorrect once an additional piece
was found that clearly articulated with the proximal portion, but not with the distal portion; see
above). New catalog numbers were created when specimens had to be scanned or otherwise sampled
for research purposes (e.g., for histology; Moretti et al., 2018), and to elements that were associated
with field numbers in areas of the quarry where no other specimen has been cataloged in the past.
46 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
TROL PB hg
ethafoam slab
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eee’
Siete
MIN FARE 33)52
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Piblodecddat rhe)
Wnieon Ferman
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labels in Beh labels wiittee a
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Ge . - —— handling for research —_—_—"
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Motanarag! WY) (|
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64
FIGURE 35. Ethafoam bed for partial pes AMNH FARB 33152, with photograph and paper labels indicating
which bone goes where, locality, taxonomy, and other information. Bones are housed in beds filled with cush-
ioned batting and lined with Tyvek. Labels with basic data are preserved in Mylar sleeves. Photograph and labels
clearly indicate which bone belongs in which cavity. Catalog numbers are painted in white on the dark surface,
between two layers of Paraloid B-72, which remains transparent, so that the bone surface remains visible.
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 47
ene fe
en Ov
=
FIGURE 36. The right ischium of AMNH FARB 7533 in its ethafoam bed with the piece of the original plaster
jacket that preserves the field number. This field number is also adhered to the bone itself on a paper label.
Additional fragments for which we could not find their fit are housed in a plastic box. Photograph by B. Javors.
Some bones were recataloged, because they were included in specimen numbers that com-
prised bones from more than one individual. In cases like this, the original number remained
for some part of the bones in question and parts deemed from other individuals or taxa were
assigned new catalog numbers. This is considered less problematic than the kind of number
changing described above (see Salvaging) because of the priority AMNH ideally places on hav-
ing one specimen number per individual organism and because something remains that carries
the original number. Again, very clear notes about these changes were then added to the
AMNH Paleontology Database.
Physical numbering of the newly cataloged bones during the current project generally fol-
lowed the paraloid-number-paraloid technique used with the bones prepared between 2005
and 2012 (see Salvaging), with the exception that we tried to avoid the use of the white paint
as a background for the black number. Instead, on sufficiently light surfaces of the bone or the
sediment, the black number is easily distinguishable without background, and on darker sur-
faces, white paint numbering was used an alternative to the white paint layer (fig. 35). In so
doing, a minimal amount of the specimens surface is covered with paint and inaccessible for
morphological analysis.
CONSERVATION OF NONPALEONTOLOGICAL OBJECTS
Occasionally, numbered fragments of jackets or fragments of newspapers are preserved as
well. Jacket fragments that bear field numbers were treated in the same way as fragile fossil
bone and housed with the contents of their jacket (fig. 36). Newspapers, often crumpled and
always extremely brittle, were relaxed using increased local humidity followed by encapsulation
in Mylar sheets. A photographic record of these typographical data is also kept.
48 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
FIGURE 37. Ischium AMNH FARB 33157 (field number 303), reconstructed from more than 50 small to large
fragments, mostly by volunteers (Pedro Galindo, Enrica Sarotto, and Fanny Guex in this case). The relatively
thin acetabular portion (toward the top) was much more damaged than the relatively stout shaft, as can be
seen by the pattern of fragmentation.
We kept sediment samples from several jackets. These sediment samples are stored together
with the bones they were associated with in the plaster jacket. The sediment samples bear the
same specimen numbers as the bones, if those are cataloged, and come from various locations
within the quarry.
CURRENT STATE OF HOWE QUARRY COLLECTION (2020)
Since the beginning of the recent conservation project, we estimate to have cleaned and
minimally prepared (where necessary) fragments that number in the low thousands. An exact
number is impossible to provide due to the large number of very small fragments. Of these,
hundreds were found to be various parts of single bones and have been glued to reconstruct the
bones as much as possible. Some of the larger bones consist of 50+ fragments that were pieced
back together by the lead author, preparators, and volunteers during several hundred hours of
work (fig. 37). Every so often, fragments and bones recovered from the cabinets and crates during
the recent project were found to be part of specimens that had been prepared previously, so that
significant additional material is now available for study, and more information on several historic
specimens is preserved than what was known before (not only anatomical information, but also
data concerning attribution of bones from different catalog numbers to individual skeletons).
All the material from the 21 cabinets with specimens rehoused between 2003 and 2006 was
reassessed, and seven of the 15 repacked crates from the 1990s were opened and their contents
transferred into collection cabinets. From the newly prepared material, 529 elements could be
identified as to what type of bone they represent. Of these, 141 are associated with field num-
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.;: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 49
bers, i,e., their location in the quarry is known, and attribution to individual skeletons can be
assessed. An additional 82 jackets and packages with associated field numbers are present
among the material transferred from the crates that were repacked in the 1990s into collection
cabinets in early 2020. To date, 47 specimens were cataloged and/or recataloged during the
recent conservation project. This amount of work could not have been done without the dedi-
cation and numerous work hours of the volunteers.
TERMINATION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
The conservation and preparation part of the Howe Quarry Project was greatly reduced
due to limited funding and termination of E,T’s postdoctoral fellowship at AMNH in April
2020. Without E.T’s active, onsite lead and supervision of the project, the project could not be
continued at the same scale. Therefore, cataloged and documented bones had to be brought
back to the collections, and measures had to be taken to prepare the uncataloged, prepared
material for its move back to the collections as well. Uncataloged material was brought back
to its original collection storage, which was noted on the paper labels adhered to the fragments
in an early step during preparation (see above). Cataloged material was moved into new, empty
cabinets, This entire process was developed and planned in collaboration with Ruth O'Leary
(the division’s Director of Collections, Archives, and Preparation).
The move was severely impacted by the fact that at the time of termination of E.T’s fellowship,
New York City was one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. None of the collections
staff, postdocs, or volunteers were allowed into the museum for the last month of the duration
of E.T’s fellowship, when most of the preparations for the move were planned to take place. In
order to preserve as much information and data as possible in the short remaining time before
complete museum closure, we produced a detailed photographic documentation of the lab and
the various specimens being worked on. These photographs were used to create detailed guides
and descriptions of every specimen, so that even after a prolonged closure, people tasked with
preparing the specimens for the moye could follow those guidelines. In this way, we attempted
to avoid as much data loss as possible resulting from such an unprecedented situation,
During the nearly three years of the Howe Quarry Project, only a little more than half the
uncataloged material could be assessed. Eight additional crates of the ones repacked in 1990 remain
to be opened and their content inventoried and transferred to cabinets. Of the inventoried, uncata-
loged material, several original jackets and packages remain intact and likely contain well-preserved
bones and, potentially, soft tissue. We intend to continue the project at a small scale with the help
of volunteers, who will be able to work on the preparation of these intact jackets. With the photo-
graphic documentation and compiled spreadsheets listing the Howe Quarry material and its loca-
tions in the collections, it will be possible to indicate which specimens to prepare next, and with
guidance from a distance. Furthermore, we intend to apply for additional fellowships and grants for
E.T. and/or other interested students and postdocs to continue the project. In the meantime, several
research projects started during the Howe Quarry Project can continue and are likely to expand our
knowledge of sauropod anatomy and Morrison Formation paleoecology significantly.
50 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
DISCUSSION
The Howe Quarry Project is an interesting example of how paleontological preparation and
conservation is very much a process of learning by doing, and how it has improved through
time since the 1930s. It also shows how collecting and preparation has been, and continues to
be, affected by institutional interest and final curatorial aims, which can have very distinct
requirements for preparation and thus the techniques and materials used.
Exhibition pieces are prepared differently from research specimens, and not just in pale-
ontology (Rae, 2014), Stability and completeness are often the main concerns for display
specimens, so consolidation and reconstruction of missing parts is key, Research specimens,
on the other hand, should see minimal intervention and minimal addition of extrinsic mate-
rials that could impact the original chemistry or obscure morphology. Preferably, all those
interventions should also be reversible, and should be noted somewhere so scientists can
access all the required information to decide whether a certain methodology or analysis is
applicable to a certain specimen, or whether historic interventions first must be undone
(Davidson and Alderson, 2009). Although published paleontological preparation reports
exist for a number of cases (e.g., Aratijo et al., 2009; Roubach et al., 2014; Val et al., 2014;
Viegas and Benton, 2014), they remain the exception, Whereas many of these approaches
have already been developed and put in place in art, archaeology, and general natural history
conservation (e.g., Koob, 1986), paleontology is often a step behind. Unfortunately, there are
only limited possibilities for communication between professionals in conservation science
and paleontology researchers and preparators. A couple of examples of journals dedicated
to both fields are Journal of Paleontological Techniques and Collection Forum. The meetings
of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and the preparator’s session
and table at the Annual Meetings of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology are other oppor-
tunities for such an exchange. However, other than during these occasions, exchange of
information between conservators, preparators, collection managers, and researchers is
sometimes difficult, and different procedures are developed inadvertently and independently
for similar challenges (Rae, 2014). Working at a natural history museum with its own con-
servation department definitely helped us in our recent project. We profited significantly
from earlier work by our Senior Preparator Davidson, who had adapted nonpaleontological
conservation methods she learned from in-house natural science collections conservators to
the specific materials of our fossils (Davidson and Alderson, 2009), and—again—to the vari-
ous final purposes of the specimens themselves.
Research programs and, even more, exhibition planning largely depend on the interests
of museum curators, At Howe Quarry, the initial intention was to have the specimens both
for research and exhibition, as can be gleaned from various sources (e.g., Brown, 1935b).
However, it also appears from these same sources that exhibition was a more immediate aim.
This, however, changed when Brown retired in 1941. Although the amount of neglect the
Howe Quarry collection went through after Brown’s retirement cannot be explained away or
excused, the fact that so much of the material remained unprepared also has a positive side.
This collection now can be prepared and conserved with the latest methods and materials,
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 51
following the standards for preparation for research purposes. This clearly salvaged a lot of
potentially crucial information especially in terms of soft-tissue preservation (Tschopp et al.,
2018), of which almost no trace can now be seen associated with specimens prepared before
the current conservation project started.
Skin impressions were known from Howe Quarry since the excavation (Brown, 1935a), so
the preparators working on Howe Quarry specimens in the 1930s all the way to the 2000s were
able to look for them, but they were not trained to identify other potential soft tissue, which
was only recognized in 2018, thanks to advanced technologies (Tschopp et al., 2018, 2019a).
After that, the recent conservation project was thus adapted and all people involved in it were
trained to identify signs of potential soft tissue and preserve it in connection with the bone,
where possible.
CONCLUSION
Historical collections such as the one from the 1934 AMNH-Sinclair Dinosaur exhibition
to Howe Quarry in northern Wyoming can carry unexpected scientific value. Reassessments
of these collections is time-consuming and challenging in terms of conservation and research
work but can yield important results for both scientific and outreach purposes. We hope that
the detailed assessment of the history of the Howe Quarry collections, and the description of
the recent conservation and preparation efforts will inspire similar efforts in other historical
collections. Although much of the material, as well as information on associations of single
bones and entire skeletons, was lost due to neglect and the several repacking episodes that fol-
lowed from accumulated problems of inappropriate storage, things like attached sediment,
potential soft tissue, and other details would likely have been prepared away and discarded
during earlier conservation interventions. These data, however, can provide much information
on taphonomy, age of the quarry, soft-tissue anatomy, and more. We therefore do not think it
is necessarily a bad thing to keep historical collections stored away, and, in fact, it may be
advisable for ongoing expeditions to set aside certain jackets from the field to keep them
untouched for future analyses.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The excavation, preparation, and study of the Howe Quarry material at the AMNH has
involved a large number of people over the past more than eight decades, many of which have
since died. We would like to thank them all but are not sure whether we remember or even
know of all the people who have contributed to the project at some point in time.
First of all, when following the history of Howe Quarry in a chronological order, we want
to thank the late Nellie Austin for bringing the site to attention of Barnum Brown in 1932. We
remain indebted to the late Barker M. Howe for the permission to excavate on his land in 1934,
his family who helped in the excavation, and his descendants, who supported the recent con-
servation project (most notably the Leavitt and Webb families). We thank Carl Sorensen (as
52 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES NO. 3956
the leader of the 1934 excavation), R.T. Bird, Bill Frutchey, Ted Lewis, Dan Thrapp, and all the
other people working Howe Quarry for several weeks to months in 1934, and the Sinclair Oil
Company for funding the expedition. Many thanks go to Jim Clark, Mick Ellison, Ryan Kellas,
Jeanne Kelley, Ed Heck, and Dick Tedford, who helped M.A.N. and C.M. at various times to
rescue what was left from the unprepared historic material at AMNH in the early 1990s and
2000s. We thank S. Cohen, R.L. Evander, and J. Klausen, who have prepared material from
Howe Quarry in the 2000s.
The project and its associated volunteer program were supported by numerous people
within the AMNH, apart from the authors. Senior Preparator Amy Davidson was heavily
involved in the development of the preparation and conservation workflow and helped with
setting up the volunteer training—thank you very much. Verne Lee (Senior Preparator) and
Scott Johnston (Preparator) were always available for advice, be it with volunteer training or
complex preparation projects. Susan Bell (Resident Research Associate; AMNH VPA) and Mai
Reitmeyer (Research Services Librarian; AMNH Research Library) were of great help to locate
and access historical documents. Rebecca Morgan (Special Collections Archivist), Barbara
Rhodes (Conservation Manager), and Rachel Wysoki (Interlibrary Loan Librarian) from the
Research Library are working on the conservation and digitization of Bird's original sketches
of Howe Quarry and notes associated with them. Assistance with photography and 3D scan-
ning was provided by Mick Ellison (Senior Principal Artist), Suzann Goldberg (Research Assis-
tant), Carolyn Merrill (Research Assistant), and Nicole Wong (Museum Specialist). Britney
Fitzgerald (Social Media Manager) helped devise and run an outreach program around the
project, together with Evan Louis. Ruth O'Leary (Director of Collections, Archives, and Prepa-
ration) provided administrative support and contributed in the planning and development of
the final stages of the project. Volunteer recruitment was done with administrative assistance
from Nicole Winns (Associated Director Volunteer Services) and her team. Many thanks to all
our volunteers mentioned above, without whom we would not have been able to go through
all this historical material. Among them, we would like to specifically thank Enrica Sarotto,
Pedro Galindo, Ed Heck, Juan Martinez, and Bruce Javors for their outstanding contributions
in terms of volunteer time,
Technical support was also provided by people from outside AMNH. Mike Eklund
trained the senior author in air abrasion preparation techniques and performed the Progres-
sive Photonics workflow described below. Shawna and Nate Gilbertson (Evergreen, Colo-
rado), Leone Leavitt, and Cliff and Row Manuel (Shell, Wyoming), Anne Stillman (Bird
Homestead and Meeting House Conservancy, Rye, New York), and Edith Webb (Basin, Wyo-
ming) provided historical information and documents concerning the 1934 excavations,
some of which were donated to the AMNH VPA.
Funding for the recent conservation project was provided through an AMNH-RGGS ‘Theo-
dore Roosevelt Memorial Fund Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Division of Paleontology Post-
doctoral Fellowship to E.T. The Division of Paleontology and especially the Macaulay Family
Endowment supported M.A.N’s involvement in the project.
2020 TSCHOPP ET AL.: RECONSTRUCTING HOWE QUARRY 53
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