Montana Dinosaur Trail
Encyclopedia
The Montana Dinosaur Trail is a series of fourteen Dinosaur
themed museums, state parks and other attractions in twelve communities located in the central and eastern regions of the state of Montana
in the United States of America
. The trail, a plan to increase attendance at the region's museums and drive tourism in general was established via the work of a number of museums as well as community and state officials. The idea for a trail uniting the museums and promoting tourism
in eastern Montana came from a meeting of the Missouri River
Country board of directors
at the Dinosaur Field Station in Malta, Montana
and the trail was officially launched via the efforts of the tourism groups of: Custer Country, Missouri River Country, Russell Country and Yellowstone Country; two state agencies: Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Travel Montana; and two federal agencies: the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management
.
The Dinosaur Trail opened in May 2005 and drew more than 196,000 visitors its first year. Since its opening, the trail facilities have hosted between 236,000 and 302,000 visitors each year. Promotion of the Trail includes a "Prehistoric Passport
" on which visitors collect dinosaur icon stamps from each museum they visit. In addition to the participating museums, the trail has helped increase visitors to other small businesses along the route.
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
themed museums, state parks and other attractions in twelve communities located in the central and eastern regions of the state of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The trail, a plan to increase attendance at the region's museums and drive tourism in general was established via the work of a number of museums as well as community and state officials. The idea for a trail uniting the museums and promoting tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
in eastern Montana came from a meeting of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
Country board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
at the Dinosaur Field Station in Malta, Montana
Malta, Montana
Malta is a city in and the county seat of Phillips County, Montana, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Routes 2 and 191. The population was 2,120 at the 2000 census.-History:...
and the trail was officially launched via the efforts of the tourism groups of: Custer Country, Missouri River Country, Russell Country and Yellowstone Country; two state agencies: Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Travel Montana; and two federal agencies: the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
.
The Dinosaur Trail opened in May 2005 and drew more than 196,000 visitors its first year. Since its opening, the trail facilities have hosted between 236,000 and 302,000 visitors each year. Promotion of the Trail includes a "Prehistoric Passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
" on which visitors collect dinosaur icon stamps from each museum they visit. In addition to the participating museums, the trail has helped increase visitors to other small businesses along the route.
Participating organizations
The fourteen organizations that make up the Montana Dinosaur Trail are the following:- Blaine County Museum
- Carter County Museum
- Great Plains Dinosaur Museum
- Fort Peck Interpretive Center and Museum
- Garfield County Museum
- H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum
- Makoshika Dinosaur Museum