SCIENCE

Dinosaur Capital of the World, Continued: Drumheller, Alberta Bites Back

Science Correspondent

July 17, 2009

Last month I asked readers of this blog to vote for which location deserved the title of "Dinosaur Capital of the World." Glen Rose, Texas quickly jumped into the lead, but many commenters voiced their preference for Drumheller, Alberta. Glen Rose might have the tracks, they say, but it is hard to beat Drumheller when it comes to the abundance of fossil bones.

Now the Drumheller Mail has weighed in on the great debate. According to the newspaper, Drumheller has tons of dinosaur fossils, a long tradition of paleontology and some dino-centered culture that can't be beat:

The valley has a rich history of dinosaur bone excavation going back more than a century, and of course the Royal Tyrrell Museum. It is hard to go a block in downtown Drumheller without seeing a statue of a dinosaur. This all makes it hard to argue that Drumheller is not the capital.

Indeed, Drumheller resident Bob Llewellyn, who has been involved with paleontology in the area for years, stated that "I don’t think we have to worry about anyone else, I think we have a lot going for us. ... The fact is, we are known all over the place…I don’t think we have to sit back and take guff from anybody."

Admittedly I have never been to Drumheller or Glen Rose, but in the interest of full disclosure I have to cast my own vote for Drumheller, Alberta. The area is abundant in fascinating dinosaur fossils, it has a solid history of supporting paleontological science, and the Royal Tyrrell Museum is a first class institution that I hope to visit in the not-too-distant future. And, not to knock Glen Rose, but the fact that young earth creationists have often tried to use the dinosaur tracks found near the Texas town to try and convince people that humans and dinosaurs once lived together makes the southern site lose a few points in my book (although a homegrown creationist museum recently popped up in Alberta, too). The true dinosaur capital of the world should have a strong tradition of excellent paleontological research, and in that respect Drumheller is hard to beat.

What do you think? Is Drumheller's status as the "Dinosaur Capital of the World" safe, or has it been superseded by Glen Rose? Have your say in the comments!