Wild West Dino Den announces new acquisitions, possible collab

The turnout for Wild West Dino Den’s holiday gathering at Shell Bar on Saturday was twice what organizer Erik Kvale expected, with 60 attendees propelling the organization further towards its goal of opening a brand-new dinosaur museum in the little town of Greybull. 

“Even if somebody makes a small donation, it shows local support,” Kvale, president of WWDD, said. Since the project’s inception two years ago, donors from Virginia to California and Minnesota to Arizona have supported its efforts with over $250,000. This weekend, WWDD announced it had put in an order for a cast of Big Al, the famous allosaurus discovered at Howe Quarry near Shell. 

This puts the museum at 4/5 of its target collection, with Big Al, a clutch of allosaurus eggs and the Baby Toni sauropod in hand and funding secured for Sarah the Stegosaurus, found at Red Canyon Ranch north of Shell. WWDD’s new copy of Baby Toni, completely funded by Big Horn Rural Electric Company, was on display for the first time at the bar on Saturday. All the displays will hold local significance to the Big Horn Basin. The missing piece is a diplodocus found outside of Lovell. 

“If all of these come together by early next year we will have essentially generated about $400,000 to $500,000 worth of fossils in just over two years,” Kvale noted. All through fundraising. 

Next, WWDD will work with the Town of Greybull to apply for a 2026 State Loan and Investment Board grant. Previous discussions revolved around a new building on the town’s property adjacent to the library and museum, though Kvale expected more work to move towards a final decision. 

This summer, University of Wyoming’s Center for Business and Economic Development returned an economic impact study on the WWDD museum, suggesting it could bring in up to 20,000 travelers and around $45,000 in local, county and state taxes in its first year. Big Horn County Economic Development added an Analysis to Action business plan, connecting with leaders in Cheyenne as a step in the SLIB process. 

WWDD will now work to raise money for displays, estimated at $750,000 to $1 million. 

“This is the cost of creating a Jurassic world for our fossils and to tell their story of discovery and the people who brought them to life” Kvale said. 

Until they can be put in their official displays, WWDD hopes to get their current collection in the public’s eyes at the Historic Red Shell School.

“Details will be forthcoming but, if it works out, we hope to have the earliest deliveries of our collection on display in Shell, within the Historic Red School.  We are working out the particulars, but the school is ahead of schedule on the renovation and it is exciting to think we could have a preview of the great things to come on display in 2026,” Kvale said. 

To keep up on the Wild West Dino Den’s work, visit www.bighornbasindinos.org.