TWO RARE PALEOHISTORIC ARTIFACTS ADDED TO MUSEUM COLLECTION

Sherman Museum

(SHERMAN, Texas) May 6, 2014 —The Sherman Museum announced today the addition of a pair of rare dinosaur footprint casts to the museum collection. The footprint casts, both from individual animals believed to be Acrocanthosaurus atokensis were donated to the museum by Gainesville, Texas historian and collector, Dr. Ernest Martin. The original footprints from which the museum casts were made are estimated to be 113 million years old, dating back to the early Cretaceous period, and were discovered in Hamilton County, Texas near the Lampasas River. Each cast
represents the left foot of unique Acrocanthosaurus individuals: a juvenile and an adult. Based on the proximity of the footprints and their orientation, it appears the pair of Acros (as the species iscommonly known) was traveling together and may have shared a familial relationship.

Acrocanthosaurus atokensis was nearly as large as Tyrannosaurus rex but lived more than 50 million years earlier. It was closely related to Carcharodontosaurus saharicus from Africa, as well as to the Jurassic predator from North America, Allosaurus. One of the most prominent identifying features of the Acrocanthosaurus species is the presence of extremely long spines along the top of the vertebrae of the back, hips and tail. These spines also gave this dinosaur its name as Acrocanthosaurus, literally translated, means "high spined lizard".

Museum director, Dan Steelman, noted that Acrocathosaurus atokensis has local roots. ”It’s skeletal remains were first discovered in Atoka County, Oklahoma, hence the secondary name atokensis“. He added that Oklahoma has claimed Acrocanthosaurus as the official state dinosaur. Trackways attributed to Acrocanthosaurus have been found in multiple Texas locations, too, ranging from
Lamar County on the Red River, to Kinney County bordering the Rio Grande River. One well known trackway discovered near Glen Rose, Texas shows what appears to be an attack upon a much larger sauropod dinosaur by an Acrocanthosaurus.

“We are so grateful to Dr. Martin for making these fossil tracings available to our visitors,” Steelman said. The footprints will be on display during the museum’s DINO DAYS exhibition scheduled to begin June 24, 2014.

About The Sherman Museum
The Sherman Museum is a non‐profit 501(c) (3) educational organization devoted to collecting, preserving and interpreting objects of historical significance to Grayson County and the Greater North Texas Region. The museum was previously known as The Red River Historical Museum prior to a name change in March 201

For more information about museums in the Lake Texoma area, visit TexomaConnect.com, The Sherman Museum holds the  Dino Days Academy each summer, where youngsters can learn more about the fascinating dinosaurs that roamed the hills of North Texas. 

The Sherman Museum is located at 301 South Walnut, Sherman, TX 75090.  You can contact the museum by phone: (903) 893-7623 or email: theshermanmuseum@verizon.net.  For information about current exhibits and upcoming events visit their website : http://www.theshermanmuseum.org

Extreme Weather on Earth and Beyond at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge

Second Saturday at Hagerman


Dr. David Baker, Austin College Associate Professor of Physics and

Director of the Austin College Weather Station will present this special "weather report" for Second Saturday at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge on April 13, 2013.

Baker is the co-author of "The 50 Most Extreme Places in Our Solar System".  The program begins at 10 am in the Multipurpose Meeting Room in the new Visitor Center and is free and open to the public.

Second Saturday for Youth features Rocks Fossils and Minerals; hands-on nature fun for ages 5 – 10.   Please register in advance by calling  903 786 2826 or register online by April 11.  Parents must accompany those age 6 and younger.  The program will begin at 10 and will be concluded around 11:30 am at the A/V Classroom in the Friends of Hagerman Center at the Refuge.

Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge ncludes almost 12,000 acres of habitat managed for birds and wildlife.  It includes hiking trails, wildlife drive, tram tours, fishing, wildlife photography, seasonal boating and hunting.  The Refuge is located at 6465 Refuge Road, Sherman, TX on Lake Texoma. 

The Visitor Center is open Monday - Friday from 7:30 am - 4pm and 9 am - 3 pm on Saturday, 1pm - 4 pm on Sundays. Visit their website for more information about the Refuge, visit the photo
gallery to view winning photographs taken by Photographers of the Month and more.

For more information about State Parks and Refuge centers in Lake Texoma area in Texas and Oklahoma, as well as other hiking and biking trails visit www.texomaconnect.com.