LUSK – Waldo Ralph Emerson said it well when he declared that “akin to nature is the soul.” This same convic- tion is shared by Marcus Eriksen, PhD, executive director of the Eastern Wyoming Nature Center.
Eriksen has been visiting Niobrara County since 1991. Every summer, the California resident can be found exca- vating fossils, primarily in Northern Niobrara County. Erikson was a long- time friend to the late Todd Hoelmer, who inspired Erikson with the dream of having a lab and education center to showcase the many fossils that have been found in Niobrara County.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, below, or purchase a new subscription.
Please log in to continue |
LUSK – Waldo Ralph Emerson said it well when he declared that “akin to nature is the soul.” This same convic- tion is shared by Marcus Eriksen, PhD, executive director of the Eastern Wyoming Nature Center.
Eriksen has been visiting Niobrara County since 1991. Every summer, the California resident can be found exca- vating fossils, primarily in Northern Niobrara County. Erikson was a long- time friend to the late Todd Hoelmer, who inspired Erikson with the dream of having a lab and education center to showcase the many fossils that have been found in Niobrara County.
“I first came to Wyoming when I was 20 years old and it was 1991,” Eriksen said. “I had been serving in the Marines and was in Kuwait. When I came back, I joined my professor as an undergrad student to dig for dinosaurs. I was on the Hansen ranch.”
Eriksen spent a lot of time helping at the Hansen ranch when he was younger. According to Eriksen, he would spend time mending fences and enjoyed doing a bit of extra work.
“I spent a month that first summer in 1991,” Eriksen said. “I have been com- ing for over 33 years every summer. I have probably spent two years of my life camping on ranches in the north part of the county.”
In the year 2000, Eriksen worked with the Stagecoach Museum and produced a video for children about fossils. During his time, Eriksen asked the Stagecoach Museum board if he for permission to include one of his excavated dinosaurs in the museum. That was the beginning of “Dino Days,” which launched the subsequent year. Eriksen had everything filmed, including a skydiving adventure he took above Lusk.
“It was so much fun,” Eriksen said. “It took me an entire summer. I had to find a dinosaur first, dig it up, clean the bones and put it together in three months. It was a blast and we filmed the whole thing. I ended the three-month project by skydiving into Lusk. It was Dan Hansen senior that flew the plane.”
For Eriksen, it was a summer that he would not easily forget.
“It was a great summer and the skeleton got built and it is still there,” Eriksen said. “It is still in that space today. I have always thought from the beginning that the fossils found in Niobrara County should stay in Nio- brara County. There are other muse- ums that have fossils from Niobrara County.”
According to Eriksen, with the ex- ception of one triceratops skeleton being showcased in the Stagecoach Museum, fossils extricated from the earth in Niobrara County have been typically carted off for storage in other parts of the county.
“The world has fossils from Niobrara County. The fossils come from North Dakota, South Dakota, Mon- tana and Wyoming,” Eriksen said.
“Historically, Niobrara County is known as a ‘triceratops bed’ because there are so many.”
“It always bugged me that none were here in Niobrara County. There was no museum,” said Eriksen. “No display of one of Niobrara County’s greatest assets with all of those fossils.”
In 2015, a flood engulfed a sizable portion of Lusk. One of the unfortu- nate structures to fall victim to the flood also housed Eriksen’s fossils. When Eriksen returned to Niobrara County from California, he found a building in urgent need of repair.
“I learned that the owner of the building hadn’t fixed anything. I knew that Todd [Hoelmer] was ask- ing that the owner fix the windows,” Eriksen said. “When I got back in 2018, Todd was no longer renting the building. I spoke with my wife and we decided that we would purchase the building.”
After purchasing the building on Main Street, Eriksen began the slow and arduous task of restoring the beleaguered structure. A new roof, win- dows and doors were installed on the building. This provided Hoelmer with a space and a lab inside to work on fossils.
“As soon as I signed the documents to the building, I called Todd and handed him the keys,” Eriksen said. “He was back in the building and I began to do fundraising to fix every- thing. It took us a year to get the non- profit started for the Eastern Wyoming Nature Center.”
With the nonprofit established, Eriksen began to collect donations. It was during this time that a board was established for the Eastern Wyo- ming Nature Center. Hoelmer, Erik- sen, Debbie Sturman, Terry Allbright, Tom Kaye, and Kraig Derstler, PhD, make up the board.
“Derstler was my professor and he had brought me to Niobrara County in the first place,” Eriksen said. “It is a small board. I have been fundraising all the way.”
Sadly, Hoelmer passed away last year. Nevertheless, Eriksen soldiered on, raising the money to fix the roof. The new roof was placed on the build
ing in 2024. The next step of repairs will involve raising the foundation of the front of the building. Presently, the foundation is cracked. The fissure is right in the front door of the build- ing. Eriksen is convinced that there is still water leaking into the founda- tion, creating an empty space.
“I found a guy in Gillette that will be able to repair the foundation,” Er- iksen said. “This will stop any future settling of the building. I am confident that, after the repairs to the founda- tion, we will be able to get the interior squared away.”
There is a fair amount of fossils that are already housed within the build- ing. There is a T-Rex skull on display. Eriksen’s goal is to put more fossils in the building so visitors can expe- rience Niobrara County’s prehistoric heritage.
“The idea of this project is to pre- serve and celebrate the fossils of east- ern Wyoming,” Eriksen said. “We are true to that mission. We have four biomes to celebrate. There is the dinosaur., Then, there are ocean sed- iments and there are shells and plesiosaur fossils, aquatic reptiles. And, then you go south in Niobrara County and there are mammals. Then, you have today.”
According to Eriksen, Niobrara County has gone through different stages of ecological development. It is Eriksen’s hope that the Eastern Wyo- ming Nature Center will be a place for tourism. In addition, Eriksen hopes that the center will elucidate Niobrara County’s rich natural history.
Eriksen plans on building a prepa- ration lab for fossils in the back of the building. The lab will be dedicated to Todd Hoelmer.
“It will always be the Todd Hoelmer preparation lab,” Eriksen said. “He was one of the founding members. I would love to see someone local or the local youth get interested in fos- sil preparation. There are lots of skills involved.”
A variety of people have attended Eriksen’s digs. Many of them are young people. This is a demographic that Eriksen will continue to court. Potential credit will be available for students. There will also be employ- ment opportunities at the Nature Cen- ter once it’s up and running.
“There is a lot that can happen eco- nomically with having a Nature Cen- ter,” Eriksen said. “Then, there will also be resources for educators. We got one grant for $10,000 to create a curriculum for educators. It is a little box kit that will have fossils.”
The Eastern Wyoming Nature Cen- ter represents a life passion for Er- iksen. Although he does not reside
in Niobrara County, the community is his unofficial home away from home. Eriksen plans to give a presentation to the Niobrara County Commissioners.
Eriksen wishes to see a larger board assembled in the future. He contin- ues to fundraise and apply for grants. $18,000 was recently donated to the project, half of which will go towards the façade of the building.
“We want to build this resource for this community,” Eriksen said. “Lets create a space where people can dig dinosaurs for Wyoming and Niobrara County. I’d like to see the museum grow and create more jobs locally.”
Eriksen will be returning this summer. Those who wish to donate or volunteer can email Eriksen at marcus@leaplab.org or call (323)395-1843. Annual board meetings will be held upon Eriksen’s return.
