The Dinosaur Hunter (28 page)

My introduction to dinosaur hunting came through Joe Johnston, the director of the film
October Sky,
which was based on my memoir
Rocket Boys
. Joe also later directed a little movie titled
Jurassic Park III
. While visiting his home, Joe told me he was heading to Montana to work in the field with Dr. John (Jack) Horner, the famous paleontologist who is the technical consultant for all of the
Jurassic Park
movies. This sounded like an adventure so it took me less than a second to ask, “Can I go, too?” After giving it some thought, Joe finally allowed as how he guessed maybe it would be OK. Big mistake. I tend to get carried away by adventures and, sure enough, that's what happened.

Jack Horner hangs his hat at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman so that was our first stop. As it happens, Bozeman is also where my good buddy Frank Stewart lives. Frank, an avid sportsman, was also interested in going out to the dino hunting grounds and so he joined me on my first journey to Garfield County in eastern Montana, otherwise known as dinosaur country. Under Jack's tutelage, it didn't take long before Frank and I were hooked on poking through the famous Hell Creek Formation, home of the iconic Tyrannosaur rex, Triceratops, Hadrosaur, Ankylosaur, and other creatures of the Cretaceous. For the next decade, every summer would find Frank and me along with numerous other interested amateur paleontologists and friends journeying to Garfield County. We did this, of course, under the direction of Dr. Horner with all the required permits. Fossil hunting on public land without permit is illegal and proper training is a must. Everything we found was carefully documented, then turned over to Jack who is also Montana's state paleontologist.

It turned out we were pretty successful dinosaur hunters. Before long, Frank discovered a T. rex, which Jack dubbed the F-Rex and sent a team to collect the bones. A couple of years later, I found the bones of an ancient animal Jack called the H-Rex and again a team was dispatched to dig out the remnants of what turned out to be a rare juvenile Tyrannosaur Frank and I were having a great time and learning a lot, not only about dinosaurs, but about the country in which we were hunting and the people who lived there, too. In fact, it didn't take me too long before I was more interested in the people of Garfield County than the ancient animals which once lived there. That's just the way I am. People interest me, especially interesting people.

The people of Garfield County are, for the most part, ranchers, farmers, cowgirls, and cowboys. They still live very close to the land, the seasons meaningful to them in ways city dwellers of today cannot imagine. Over the years, I was gradually allowed to be a part of their special community and getting to know them has been a privilege. They are a strong, hardy, well-educated people who add a special dimension to life and discourse in the United States. We are lucky to have them among us. Getting to know them prompted this novel, so as to bring them to life through the fictional characters of the mythical Fillmore County.

I extend my thanks to Dr. Horner for his patient teaching, and to Frank Stewart, faithful dino buddy, and fellow dino hunters Al Cunningham, Bill Hendricks, Art Johnson, Claus Kroeger, Lee Hall, Bob Harmon, Carl Campbell, Laura Wilson, Nels Peterson, Kim Wendell, Mark Goodwin, David Varracchio, and many other fine professional and amateur paleontologists, all of whom have been helpful to me every step up and down those glorious badlands.

Thanks also to Shelley McKamey, Pat Lieggi, and all the staff of the Museum of the Rockies, which honored me by allowing me to be on the museum advisory board. Thanks are also tendered to the Fellman and Phipps families in Jordan, Montana. They have been especially helpful in my quest to catch the wily dinosaurs. Of course, little could have been accomplished without the Hell Creek Bar to repair to for cool, liquid libations (not to mention fried chicken and onion rings) after a hot, sweaty day chasing dinosaurs. A tip of the expedition hat to barkeep Joe Herbold and the present owners of this grand watering hole.

This novel would not have been possible without the assistance of my reviewers and fact checkers, which included Mary Pluhar, Laura Wilson, Frank Stewart, and, always my first reader (and wife), Linda Hickam. Their expertise was required to breathe truth into Mike Wire's tale. Thanks are also due to David McCumber who generously allowed me to use his brilliant memoir,
The Cowboy Way
, as a resource for the novel. Similarly, my heartfelt thanks are extended to Walter W. Stein for the practical knowledge I learned from his excellent book,
So You Want to Dig Dinosaurs? A Field Manual on the Practices, Principles, and Politics of Vertebrate Paleontology, Second Edition.
Of course, any errors in this novel are entirely my own.