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A young geology professor from Southern California, Don Burge was teaching a night class when he issued a challenge to the class: "You people are crazy! You have the greatest dinosaurs and no place to show them off." The students took him up on the challenge and in the summer of 1960 held meetings with professionals to determine what it took to create a museum from the ground up.
It soon became apparent that the community was also rich in archaeological artifacts. In 1961, Dr. J. Eldon Dorman, local physician, was selected to be the first Curator of Archaeology. Dorman had many years of experience studying area rock art. Prehistoric artifacts from the Fremont Culture and the Anasazi Culture began to pour into the museum from many sources in the area.
By June 3, 1961, the new Carbon College Prehistoric Museum had taken hold on the upper floor hall of the Price City Hall and opened to the public. With one complete Allosaurus skeleton from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Emery County and many collections assembled from local basements, garages and workshops, the museum had a visitation of over 13,000 people during the first year. In the 1970's the College of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum was moved from the upper floor of City Hall into the old city gymnasium. The meager museum had grown beyond the confines of the hall and now demanded more space for new exhibits including several more dinosaur skeletons. Official visitation records first began to be kept in 1978 when the total yearly visitation reached 7, 564. From 1978 to 1989, museum visitors increased by leaps and bounds hitting a high of 23,233 in 1988. Museum officials realized that with the increased visitation and the new discoveries in the world of paleontology, the once empty and spacious facility would no longer serve its purpose. In 1989, ground was broken for a new museum wing directly adjacent to the current one. The museum officially celebrated its second grand opening April 7, 1990 after being closed for five months to move. The 'new' museum drew many local people who had never even known that the museum existed in the community. In 1990, visitation reached an all time high of 34,676 people. During this time, work began on the old gymnasium, remodeling to house the archaeological exhibits. This would be a mirror image of the newly completed wing. In 1991, the Hall of Archaeology opened to the public. The new face of the museum was complete. After the completion of the Hall of Archaeology, the CEU Prehistoric Museum applied to become an accredited museum. A team from the American Association of Museums visited the museum for an extensive interview and review period. By the fall of 1991, the museum received word that the institution had been accredited; an honor shared by only by four other museums in the state. The CEU Museum was the first accredited museum outside of the Wasatch Front or rural community. The Huntington Canyon Mammoth cast was unveiled for exhibit on May 1, 1993. The nearly complete specimen was found on August 8, 1988 in Huntington Canyon Utah. The mammoth was found at a record elevation of 9,000 in a bog of icy cold mud. Several casts have been sent to museum around the world including Japan, Canada, and Australia. The CEU Museum reached a record visitation figure in 1993. 'Jurassic Park', Stephen Spielberg's block-buster hit was released this year and dinosaur fever spread like wildfire. CEU Museum quarry crews discovered the claw of the star of the fictional movie in the fall of 1991. Fiction became reality with the discovery of this prehistoric killer. The bones of the Utahraptor are housed in the CEU Museum's permanent collections. The CEU Museum has grown to serve over 40,000 visitors every year. Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the CEU museum has made a name for itself in the scientific community by operating 51 dinosaur quarries and participating in archaeological surveys. The 45 years since the museum's birth would not have been possible without the help and vision of numerous volunteers who donated time and material to make the dream of a museum an amazing reality.
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