Missouri Institute of Natural Science

This summer we made kind of a bucket list of things to do.  We had a wide variety of activities on it from going to Silver Dollar City to playing with sidewalk chalk. Last weekend we decided to do some of our "bigger" activities that were a little more time consuming.  


Friday, after searching for some yard sale bargains in nearby Springfield (yes, it was on our summer bucket list), we headed south of town to the Missouri Institute of Natural Science.  First and foremost, I need to tell you why this place exists.  Back on September 11, 2001 while the entire nation was glued to the TV watching news of the terrorist attacks, road crews were blasting through rock to build a new road.  Once it was discovered that the nation was under attack, all blasting came to a screeching halt.  The problem this particular road crew had was that holes had already been filled with explosives and they could not be removed.  They also just couldn't leave them there, ready to go off at any moment on public property, so they got special permission to detonate what was already in the ground.  The blast revealed an unknown cave.  According to one of the volunteers that showed us around the museum (his name escapes me but it started with an E, so that's what I'll call him), what typically happens when a cave is discovered during road construction is they shove some rock and dirt in front of the hole and continue on with their project.  That information is shocking because there is no telling how many amazing caves have been discovered but not explored because they just get covered up.  Anyway, because the road crew was not going to be able to continue on until the next day, one of the guys decided to call his friend, Matt Forir, who is a Professor of Speleology at Drury University and the Geologist for Greene County, Missouri.  He told Matt they'd found a cave and to come check it out if he wanted to.  The first thing Matt sees in the cave is claw marks on the wall, 16 feet high, from the now extinct short-faced bear.  It turns out, this cave is the oldest known Ice Age fossil cave in North America.  The largest congregation of peccary (a type of Ice Age pig) tracks were found very well preserved.  Other findings include mammoth bones, wolf bones, horse bones, snake skeletons, large cat claw marks, animal dung, and fossilized millipedes in what is now known as Riverbluff Cave. While the cave is off limits to the public (there is still much to be discovered), an entity was needed to run, support, and maintain Riverbluff so the Missouri Institute of Natural Science was born.  

The museum was actually only built in 2009, so it's still relatively new, and is a constant work in progress.  When you pull up, you wouldn't even know it's a museum.  It sits in the outskirts of Springfield and is just a plain, unassuming building with only a few small signs.  If you are picturing the Smithsonian, get that out of your head.  If I'm remembering correctly, the museum houses Matt's own personal collection of fossils, a large variety of minerals, as well as the Riverbluff Cave discoveries.  Each time the cave is explored, something new and wonderful is found.  Because of this, the museum will just continue to grow over the years.  While it is small, it is anything but insignificant.  Oh, and it's free to get in!

Picture borrowed from Missouri Institute of Natural Science Facebook page.  I forgot to take a picture of the entire inside but this gives you an idea of size.  It's not a very big building.

We walked in and were immediately greeted by a couple of volunteers.  E gave us a run down of the layout and displays.  It's a self guided tour but since we were the only ones there, E spent a lot of time at each display with us.  He told us stories, the history, and information about the fossils.  Even though they were behind glass, he would pull many of them out to let us hold or take pictures.

After looking at the two large displays of fossils, we move to the minerals.  I've always been fascinated by rocks and minerals.  I collected them as a child and really enjoyed the Geology class I took in college.  Even if you've never had an interest in them, you can't help but be in awe of their colors and shapes.  My pictures do not do them justice. 

These rocks look completely normal when under a regular bulb but under black light, they take on a completely different look.  

The next section of the museum is the part I'd been most excited about seeing.  It's completely dedicated to Ice Age fossils and Riverbluff Cave.  

Peccary

Short-Faced Bear skull

Mold of the peccary tracks found in Riverbluff Cave.

Gomphothere (extinct elephant like creature) Jaw.  

Once you are done exploring the museum, you can actually go out and search for fossils yourself!  I'd completely forgotten about this being an option so I didn't come properly dressed for sitting around digging in dirt.  Not only that, it was about 150 degrees out.  Anyone who lives in this area can tell you, 2012 has been one of the hottest, driest summers on record.  Even if I had worn the right clothes, I don't think we would have wanted to sit out in the baking sun to dig for anything.  Luckily, they are open year round so we will definitely make plans to go back out to see what we can dig up.  It's $4 per person (for the dig only, museum is free), is self guided, and you get to keep anything you find!  E told us about 2 young boys (around the age of 10) who came out completely prepared and ready to work. They had watched videos on youtube about digging for fossils so not only did they bring all the proper tools, they knew what to look for.  Within an hour and a half, they had a boatload of fossils to take home.  One of them, according to E, was an incredibly rare find!  Even if you don't know what you are doing, it sounds like it's well worth the time to dig.  One thing to keep in mind though, is their hours.  They are only open M-F from 8:30-4:30.  During the school year, that doesn't really give a lot of time to take the kiddos out, however, if you call them, you can schedule a time on nights or weekends to visit.  


The museum runs their day to day operations on donations.  No one ever once asked us for one but they do have a large box set up if you want to throw a few bucks in.  They also have a donation section on their website as well.  Even if funds are tight right now, the museum is free and worth the trip out.