Kansas Museum of Natural
History
Kansas Museum of Natural
History
Location: On the campus of the University of Kansas, Downtown Lawrence.
Contact: Phone: 785/864-4450
The
unusual tower of Dyche Hall is a landmark for the campus of the
University of Kansas. Completed in 1903 and listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, the exterior of the building is decorated with
numerous small stylized depictions of plants and animals. But the real
attraction is the extensive collections housed in it's ornate and maze-like
interior.
Rhinos
once roamed in Western Kansas! Several fossils of
these ancient creatures are on display, and serve as testimony that the arid
plains of west Kansas once had a moist, tropical climate.
To
insure that no two visits are the same, the museum has a section
devoted to changing exhibits. The one in the photo at right contained
information and displays on the exploration of Antarctica for fossils.
Scientists travel from all over the world, including the University of Kansas,
to the Antarctic. Here they find a pristine world and great opportunities
for collecting scientific specimens.
Perhaps
the most famous display in the museum is Comanche, the only
survivor of Custer's Seventh Cavalry at the battle of the Little Bighorn in
1876. The horse belonged to Capt. Myles Keogh, one of Custer's officers.
Commanche suffered seven wounds during the battle, including being shot through
the neck. He survived these wounds, and lived many years after the famous
battle dying in 1891.
Though sometimes controversial, the stuffed horse has remained at the University of Kansas since it's death at Ft. Riley and subsequent preservation at the university.
Amazingly
realistic dioramas are located throughout the museum. The
one in the photo (right) displays birds flying about in a prairie.