Paleontology for Kids (Dinosaurs and More!): Dinosaurs in Missouri

Dinosaur fossils are rare in Missouri: so rare, in fact, that only one site has ever been found. In 1942, geologist Dan R. Stewart heard of an unusual discovery near Glen Allen, Missouri on a farm belonging to the Chronister family. They were digging a new well when they stumbled upon a set of large, fossilized bones. The Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources department sent Stewart to investigate. He saw twelve vertebrae and a few bone fragments belonging to a previously undiscovered species of dinosaur.

An article by University of Central Missouri Department of History professor, Anna Furney, with research support from University of Central Missouri Department of History about the discovery of the first dinosaur found in Missouri. Images and a map are included.

After years of excavating, the team found a tail, two arms and a skull belonging to a dino that would have been 35 feet long.

If you’re looking for things for kids (and the whole family) to do in Branson, Missouri add the Branson Dinosaur Museum to your list along with all the awesome live music shows and cool attractions. Take your vacation back in time. Visit life-sized dinosaur replicas! If your kids are budding paleontologists, they will love seeing 45 life-sized dinosaurs! Plus everyone can touch an actual dinosaur bone!

Okay, this isn't really a dinosaur site, but if you love creatures of the past, it's worth a visit. Mastodon State Historic Site contains an important archaeological and paleontological site: the Kimmswick Bone Bed. Here, scientists discovered the first solid evidence of the coexistence of humans and the American mastodon in eastern North America. Today, visitors can learn about this discovery and how the landscape of Missouri looked in prehistoric times. The site features a museum with an interpretive video, displays of ancient artifacts and fossils, and an impressive mastodon skeleton replica. Programs explain more about the significance of the site.

Nestled on institute grounds is a superb location to experience the thrill of hunting for fossils. Exposed boulders provide some great examples of the types of fossils the Ozarks has to offer. Visitors to the institute are encouraged to hike up the hill and hunt for fossils of their own to take home with them.

Explore our planet’s history and the creatures that once roamed its surface. Dig up fossils, watch a Tyrannosaurus rex plan his next meal (an unlucky Triceratops horridus), learn about past (and current) extinction events, and feel a simulated earthquake.

Step into the Sainte Genevieve Museum Learning Center, and you’ll unearth a corner of the world where time flies and distance shrinks. Here, you and your family can go back millions of years in a matter of minutes and travel thousands of miles from our front door before returning home to Missouri’s oldest city. As you venture through the past, history’s most captivating true stories come to life through exhibits, artifacts and activities that help you discover how we got to where we are today.