Bozeman – This week, the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University will open a new paleontology exhibition, “Cretaceous Crossroads,” focusing on a dynamic chapter in North American prehistory. It will debut for museum members on Tuesday, July 1, at 5:30 p.m., followed by a public opening on Wednesday, July 2, at 9 a.m. It will be the new primary paleontology exhibition for the museum.
Spanning the period from 72 to 82 million years ago, “Cretaceous Crossroads” immerses visitors in the era of the Western Interior Seaway. It features fossil specimens, 3D prints, casts, paleo-art, interactive installations, an augmented reality experience, microscope stations and discovery drawers. Highlights include a nesting Maiasaura (Montana’s state fossil), a 30‑foot Daspletosaurus horneri, a 23‑foot Mosasaurus, raptor-like Troodon, dinosaur eggs and clutches and never-before-seen fossils unique to Montana.
“Cretaceous Crossroads brings Montana’s fossil-rich heritage to life in a way our community, and visitors, have never experienced,” said Scott Williams, the museum’s senior director of exhibitions. “This exhibition blends cutting-edge research, dynamic storytelling and hands‑on exploration to reveal how life on land and under the sea intersected during the Late Cretaceous.”
The exhibition will include brand new specimens, including dozens of rare and significant fossils, some of which will be displayed for the first time. It will also highlight local paleontology, including discoveries from Montana’s famed Two Medicine, Judith River and Bearpaw formations.
Based at Montana State University and affiliated with the Smithsonian, Museum of the Rockies is celebrated for its world-class Rocky Mountain paleontology research and collections. The Siebel Dinosaur Complex, a central exhibit space featuring displays like “Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky,” is the setting for the new “Cretaceous Crossroads” exhibition. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
