Wild West Dino Den could draw 20k-plus tourists

Fundraiser set for Friday

The University of Wyoming’s Center for Business and Economic Development has released its economic impact analysis for a proposed Wild West Dino Den museum in Greybull, with estimates suggesting over 20,000 travelers could bring cash flow to the area each year through the project. 

“The estimate of the numbers of people that we could attract came in higher than I had initially anticipated,” said Erik Kvale, president of the Wild West Dino Den, formerly Big Horn Basin GeoScience Center. “The numbers that they were talking about are really in line with what the Wyoming Dinosaur Center is seeing.” 

The CBEA’s economic impact evaluation, which is one of the first steps in obtaining grant funding, used WWDD’s internal cash flow analysis and publicly available tourism and travel data to determine what a  new dinosaur museum could bring to the town of Greybull. The $20,000 study was funded through a $10,000 U.S. Economic Development Agency grant and 50/50 cost share of the remaining balance between WWDD and the Town of Greybull. 

“The museum that we hope to create will be like stepping back into the Jurassic world,” Kvale said. “So you’ll hear the sounds, you’ll see the sights… all the details from the mammals that existed to the plants to the types of dinosaurs and how they lived and died, that will all be in there.”

WWD’s goal is to host casts of finds from the Greybull area: One of the two “Big Al” allosauruses, the “Baby Toni” sauropod, a nest of 24 allosaurus eggs, and the “Sarah” stegosaurus. Additional casts from the Dana Quarry near Hyattville may be in the works. WDDD is well on itsway, with over $250,000 raised for the effort. 

Kvale said 20,000 visitors may actually be conservative, with the CBEA study producing a 35,000 annual visitor estimate through travel data collected from WYDOT and the Parks Service. Even at the ToG and WWDD’s suggested 20,000 baseline, which equates to roughly 10% of the tourist traffic running through Greybull to the Black Hills and Yellowstone, the museum would prove sustainable. 

At 20,000 visitors, the museum could potentially bring in $45,000 in local, county and state taxes. Its first year, operating expenses were estimated at $160,000 and income at $280,000, which would allow for the hiring of 3.4 full-time employees. 

“Beginning in the second year, ongoing operations and visitor spending are projected to support approximately 14.14 FTE jobs annually. These activities are expected to contribute about $670,000 annually to the county’s GCP and generate approximately $68,000 in state and local tax revenue,” the CBEA analysis reads. 

Currently, building costs are estimated at $700,000. An ICF structure has been suggested, with plans to build on the ToG property directly adjacent to the Greybull Museum and Greybull Library. The ToG will take responsibility for the building, with WWDD expected to acquire exhibits. 

WWDD board member Nolan O’Neal has been working with the Town of Greybull to acquire a State Loan and Investment Board grant from the Wyoming Business Council. This could potentially cover the cost of construction. Deadlines are in November and early next year. 

“Realistically, it would be next year before the town can get it in,” O’Neal predicted. Next steps will include developing a team of community members from across the Big Horn Basin to contribute ideas about potential barriers and needs, with the intention of proving the project can provide community resiliency. O’Neal hoped this could be completed by Fall. 

The benefits of the museum could go beyond economics, Kvale and O’Neal predicted. 

“We would have a lot more emphasis on the overall science of it in a way that is meant to stimulate educational curiosity so you become a little bit of a regional tool for your school systems for accessible field trips and visits,” O’Neal said. 

With the right setup, there is also potential for the museum to become a social gathering space. 

“Why not have a wedding at a dinosaur museum?” Kvale said. 

A fundraiser, part of WWDD’s “Bring ’Em Home” campaign, will be held Friday, July 25 at Shell Bar from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Live music will be provided by Jane Bell and Doc Tari, food by The Hog Food Truck. “Prehistoric Game Warden” Al Webster will be selling Wyoming dinosaur hunting licenses, and featured cocktail “The Thagomizer” will support the WWDD collections fund. 

Saturday, July 26 at 6 p.m., Dr. Lucas Weaver of the University of Michigan will host a free talk at the Greybull Library, “The End of the Dinosaurs in the Big Horn Basin.”

“We’re not by any means done or about to lunge across the goal line; it’s early days, it’s going to take time. An event like this just makes it a little bit more real for folks,” O’Neal said. 

To keep up on fundraising efforts and events, check out www.bighornbasindinos.org.