Experience The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum

The hunt for dinosaurs in Wembley, AB, about a 20 min drive west of Grande Prairie, started back in 1974 when schoolteacher and amateur fossil collector Al Lakusta discovered the Pipestone Creek dinosaur bone bed. The Pipestone Creek is shallow and meandering today, often drying up in the heat of the summer, 75 million years ago it was a turbulent torrent racing through a land of active volcanoes and large hulking dinosaurs. A flash flood swept thousands of these lumbering giants downriver. Here their carcasses jammed up in a bend in the river, eventually becoming fossilised skeletons melding into the landscape.

Photo Courtesy Travel Alberta & Mike Seehagel

While out for a walk one day with a friend, Lakusta discovered a seam of fossilized bones in the creek, including the remains of what was eventually recognised as a new species of dinosaur, officially christened Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai in honour of his find. In 1986, Dr. Philip J. Currie, Alberta’s, and arguably Canada’s, pre-eminent palaeontologist launched an official excavation of Pipestone Creek.

Due to the density of bones here, up to 100 bones per square metre, this site was recognized as one of the richest in Canada. In addition to unearthing hundreds of Pachyrhinosaurus bones, Dr. Currie and his colleagues at the University of Alberta have discovered bones from the carnivorous theropods, preditory tyrannosaurs, armoured nodosaurs, marine plesiosaurs, duckbilled hadrosaurs, and flying pterosaurs.

Photo Courtesy Lloyd Dykstra

The bone bed is almost the size of a football field so many more fossils and their mysteries have yet to be discovered. One well-preserved hadrosaur fossil caused a stir in 2013 as it contained “mummified” head crest skin impressions from the duck-billed Edmontosaurus regalis - this fossil confirmed for the first time the existence of a ‘cockscomb’ or a fleshy head crest. In March 2016, Boreonykus certekorum, a new raptor (dromaeosaur), was described by Dr. Currie and Dr. Phil Bell.

Given the value of the Pipestone Creek bone bed to the world of palaeontology, it became apparent that a new museum was needed to appropriately house and display the fossil finds. A site was chosen in Wembley, AB. Inaugurated in September of 2015, the Philip J. Currie (PJC) Dinosaur Museum features extensive gallery spaces, two classrooms, the 60-seat Aykroyd Family Theater, named for actor and museum supporter Dan Aykroyd and his family, research and collections areas, the Dine-O-Saur restaurant, the Kaleidosaur gift shop, an outdoor discovery fossil walk and large outdoor playground. In addition to regularly changing exhibits that focus on regional collectors and artists, it also boasts the only National Geographic theatre in Canada, with exciting new films brought in frequently and shown several times every day.

Photo Courtesy Travel Alberta, Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum & Sean Trostem

Dinosaur fans of all levels will find things to engage them, with activities ranging from prehistoric art projects to handson authentic fossil preparation. The museum hosts monthly free lectures from experts in palaeontology and other fields, as well as symposia and other community-oriented events. A large variety of school programs, field trips, day camps, and drop-in programs accommodate a wide range of age.

In addition to all the displays and activities available onsite at the museum, the Pipestone Creek bone bed site, located about 18 km from the museum, is open to the public. During the spring and summer, enthusiasts can learn how to prepare and excavate fossils in the Palaeontologist for a Day program.

Camping is available at Pipestone Creek Campground and at the Saskatoon Island Provincial Park. Numerous hotels and motels are available in Grande Prairie for accommodation, and there are hotel packages featured on the museum’s site dinomuseum.ca

What does the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the paranormal monster from the 1984 movie Ghost Busters, have to do with dinosaurs near Grande Prairie? The Canadian-born movie star Dan Aykroyd has hunted them both. Inspired by his 2010 participation in a dig in the area with his dinosaur-obsessed daughter, Danielle, and wife, Donna Dixon, Aykroyd became an ardent supporter of the museum.

Palaeontologist for a Day Program

In our Palaeontologist for a Day program, you will join a real excavation and go shoulder-to-shoulder with field crews as we explore the Pipestone Creek bonebed for dinosaurs, and with them, the answers to what was really happening right here millions of years ago!

You’ll start your day with a delicious breakfast and a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum. You’ll be transported to the bonebed with the other dinosaur hunters, get equipped with a museum tote bag, water bottle, and real fossil hunting tools, then set about scouring the site for the next big discovery with the assistance of our palaeontology team.

The program includes a hearty dinner and staff will follow-up with photos and an update on your find.