But Wait, There’s More!
By Brad Reynolds
Museums across the Treasure State contain rocks, fossils, and other remnants of Montana’s prehistoric past. While these displays and exhibits are appreciated, it takes a larger commitment to the advancement of paleontology to be included in the Montana Dinosaur Trail (MDT). Roundup’s Musselshell Valley Historical Museum has risen to the occasion, working over the past several years to meet the criteria and code of ethics set out by MDT. As such, Musselshell Valley Historical Museum will earn its name on the Montana Dinosaur Trail map in 2026, thanks in part to the efforts of local dinosaur enthusiast Eric Eliasson.
“My parents set a strong example for me that if you want your community to improve, you need to step up and be the change you wish to see,” says Eliasson. “My goal in joining the Museum board was to take advantage of our local history and resources by expanding and updating our paleontology exhibits.”
Raised in Roundup, Eliasson (like many of us) became fascinated with dinosaurs at an early age. Now, as a master electrician, he travels the region, where he regularly encounters fossil sites on ranches and oil fields.
“I guess that is what rekindled my childhood passion for dinosaurs,” he says.
Over the years, Eliasson has made some relatively common discoveries: tyrannosaur teeth, hadrosaur bones, and the fossils of fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Other discoveries have been decidedly more impressive, including a partial Ankylosaurus Magniventris skull and skeletal elements—a very rare find. But to date, Eliasson’s most remarkable discovery is that of “Aimee,” a sub-adult triceratops that he uncovered near Ingomar.
“My first time hiking the land, I found a handful of bone fragments eroding out of a shallow hillside,” he explains. “I let the landowner know that he in fact had dinosaur bones on his property, which he was surprised and excited about. I explained that I was working with the museum, and I would like to excavate the area with the intent of donating what was found to our new exhibit, and he was on board with them benefiting the community.”
The bones of Aimee the triceratops (named after the landowner’s dog that died one year earlier) had been scattered by currents and scavengers while being deposited in the lush swamp where she lived. So far, over forty bones and large bone fragments have been unearthed, including partial frill, skull and jaw elements, eight ribs, five vertebrae, ischium (part of the pelvis), and many yet to be identified elements.
“When I first started working at the Aimee site—what I would come to call the ‘Ingomar Oasis’—I was definitely a novice fossil collector. The frill was the first fossil I had ever plaster jacketed by myself. To say I was nervous flipping it is an understatement!” says Eliasson. “Thanks to my tireless bugging of many professionals in the paleontology field, lots of Google searches, and some trial and error, I’ve acquired a working knowledge of the excavation, identification, documentation, preparation, and display of fossils. Maybe even enough to be called an amateur!”
Aimee’s discovery was a milestone for both the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum and Roundup as a whole. This was more than just a bone or two; it was the community’s first “specimen”—a collection of bones from the same individual that could be used to further our knowledge of Triceratops Horridus.
Aimee is currently on display in the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum’s “Dino Depot.” A print by artist Joshua Ballze titled Ingomar Oasis hangs in the exhibit, depicting Aimee and the habitat in which she lived.
For more information about the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum, as well as its upcoming induction into the Montana Dinosaur Trail, visit mvhm.us.