Crowdfunding is a not a new concept. This practice has become more popular lately since the advent of the internet and social media but has been around in various forms for centuries. The idea is to fund a project with small donations from a large number of people, rather than fund it from large donations from a small number of people. The concept is used to raise money for virtually any product or idea that can garner support, including scientific research.

Mosasaur skeletons within the North Dakota State Fossil Collection.

Recently the North Dakota Geological Survey has partnered with a researcher from Texas to study the mosasaurs in the North Dakota State Fossil Collection. Mosasaurs are not dinosaurs but a type of swimming reptile closely related to the Komodo Dragon found in Indonesia today. Mosasaurs lived at the same time as dinosaurs, ruling the oceans while dinosaurs ruled the land. The mosasaur specimens found in the ND State Fossil Collection are all from rocks called the Pierre Formation and are approximately 80 million years old. These rocks were deposited in North Dakota at a time when a shallow sea called the Western Interior Seaway connected the Gulf of Mexico to the Hudson Bay. Currently there are six partial skeletons of mosasaurs in the ND State Fossil Collection and some other unassociated fragments of bones. Study of these specimens would help shed light on the kinds of mosasaurs living in ND at this time as well as putting North Dakota’s underwater world into a more regional context. Our paleontologists with the North Dakota Geological Survey are not specialists with these types of animals, so outsourcing the research is the best way to get the work accomplished.

We hope that you are as excited as we are to learn what the mosasaurs in our collection have to tell us. When this crowdfunded study is complete, we plan to share that information with you through an online open-access journal and our website. Stay tuned!

1. The kitty litter was purchased at a Bismarck store by Jenny Yearous. When Jenny emptied the bag she noticed that it was made from a woven-like plastic material. Jenny had previously used this style of bag to make tote bags. This tote bag is scheduled to be displayed in the Governors Gallery of the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum this summer as a representation of “green” recycling. Jenny has also made colorful tote bags using recycled bird seed bags and cat food bags.

2015.00068.00001, donated by Jenny Yearous

2. The Etch-A-Sketch was introduced in 1960 and was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, NY, in 1998. In 2003 the Toy Industry Association named Etch-A-Sketch to its Century of Toys List.

This Etch-A-Sketch was given to Linda Norderhaug of Bowman, ND, as a child. She kept it in the original box. Linda was Miss North Dakota Teenager in 1973 and Miss North Dakota USA Universe in 1976.

2016.00004, donated by Linda Norderhaug

3. The flight suit was worn by Glenn Thoreson and was used on flight combat strikes during the Vietnam War. Dr. Thoreson was a US Air Force physician, flight surgeon, and fighter pilot from 1967-1969. According to a letter accompanying his medal, he received the Airman’s Medal after “rushing to an area where an aircraft crashed upon takeoff. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Captain Thoreson, despite hazard of exploding fuel cells and high explosives, unhesitatingly entered the area near the flaming aircraft and persevered in his humanitarian efforts until he succeeded in removing one of the injured firemen to a place of safety.” He grew up in Mayville and eventually returned home to practice primary care medicine at Mayville Clinic for 36 years.

Along with this museum artifact, State Archives has photographs, oral history, and scans of a scrapbook documenting his life. The archives also have footage from a WDAY-TV (Fargo) video about Dr. Thoreson receiving the Airman’s Medal.