A Wyoming cabin built from 5,796 dinosaur bones awaits its big move

A unique cabin made entirely of dinosaur bones sits near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, along the historic U.S. Route 30. Built in the early 1930s, the structure was originally designed to lure tourists and function as a gas station. Today, it remains a rare example of prehistoric fossils repurposed as building materials.

The Fossil Cabin's story began in the late 19th century, when the Bone Wars expeditions led by Othniel Charles Marsh uncovered numerous dinosaur remains in Como Bluff, Wyoming. Between the 1870s and 1880s, researchers identified 10 to 12 species, including Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, and Stegosaurus. Decades later, rancher Thomas Boylan spent 17 years collecting these fossils before constructing the cabin between 1932 and 1933.

Boylan used the bones like conventional building materials. Vertebrae were stacked like bricks, while limb bones served as structural supports. In total, the cabin contains 5,796 dinosaur bones, some dating back tens of millions of years. Recognised for its historical value, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

In 2018, the cabin was donated to the Medicine Bow Museum, with plans to relocate it to the town. However, the move has faced delays. Currently, the cabin rests on steel beams above an excavation pit, awaiting a solution for its safe removal. Officials now expect the relocation to take place no earlier than spring 2026.

The Fossil Cabin remains suspended in its current location, pending a complex relocation effort. Once moved, it will become a permanent exhibit in Medicine Bow, offering visitors a direct link to Wyoming's prehistoric past. The structure's preservation highlights both its scientific significance and its unusual role in early 20th-century tourism.