Como Bluff and the Fossil Cabin

In 1877 railroad workers noticed enormous bones weathering out of Como Bluff, and word reached the era's leading fossil hunters. The rock here, part of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, proved astonishingly rich, and over the following years crews shipped whole skeletons east by the railcar-load.

The bluff yielded some of the dinosaurs that became household names, giants of the Jurassic like Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Diplodocus, along with early mammals and other creatures. It remains one of the most significant dinosaur localities ever worked, a place where the popular image of dinosaurs was quite literally dug out of the ground.

Como Bluff sat at the center of the Bone Wars, the bitter competition between paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope in the late 1800s. Each raced to name more species than the other, and their crews worked the bluff in secrecy and rivalry, sometimes guarding sites and spoiling leftovers so the other could not use them.

For all its unseemly feuding, the rivalry filled the great museums of the East with skeletons and named scores of new dinosaurs. Much of that scientific bounty came out of this one Wyoming ridge, making Como Bluff a foundation stone of how the world came to know the age of dinosaurs.

In 1932 a local family built a small cabin beside the highway from thousands of fossilized dinosaur bones gathered from the bluff, and opened it as a roadside curiosity on the Lincoln Highway. Promoted as the building made of dinosaurs and the oldest building in the world, it drew travelers off the road for decades.

The cabin stood empty and weathering for many years, and to protect this unusual landmark it has recently been moved into the care of the museum in the nearby town of Medicine Bow. It endures as a monument both to the dinosaurs of Como Bluff and to the golden age of the American road trip.

Como Bluff lies along U.S. Highway 30/287 between Medicine Bow and Rock River, marked by a historical sign where you can read the story and take in the ridge. Much of the surrounding land is private or protected, so this is a place to appreciate from the roadside and the interpretive markers rather than to explore on foot or collect.

The nearby town of Medicine Bow, with its historic Virginian Hotel and its museum, makes the natural companion stop, and the museum is now the home of the relocated Fossil Cabin. Together they turn a lonely stretch of highway into a memorable brush with deep time.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Como Bluff is a long, modest-looking ridge on the high plains of southern Wyoming between the towns of Medicine Bow and Rock River, but it holds an enormous place in the history of science: in the late nineteenth century its rocks yielded some of the most famous dinosaur fossils ever found, fueling the fierce rivalry between paleontologists known as the Bone Wars. Nearby stood the Fossil Cabin, one of the West's oddest roadside attractions, a small building constructed from fossilized dinosaur bones and billed as the oldest building on Earth. Together they tell a story of deep time and human wonder on the open plains of southern Wyoming.

Como Bluff is famous because in the late nineteenth century its rocks produced an astonishing wealth of dinosaur fossils, including some of the first and most complete skeletons of famous dinosaurs, which filled museums and transformed the young science of paleontology. The rich bone beds became a prize in the bitter rivalry between two leading fossil hunters, a competition so intense it became known as the Bone Wars. The discoveries here helped shape our understanding of dinosaurs. This remarkable scientific legacy makes Como Bluff a landmark in the history of paleontology on the plains of southern Wyoming.

The Fossil Cabin was a small, curious building near Como Bluff constructed in the early twentieth century out of fossilized dinosaur bones gathered from the area, created as a roadside attraction and once billed with characteristic showmanship as the oldest building on Earth, since its stones were dinosaur bones millions of years old. It became a beloved piece of quirky Western Americana for generations of road-trippers. While the site's status can change over time, so checking current access before you go is wise, the Fossil Cabin remains a memorable part of the Como Bluff story in southern Wyoming.

Como Bluff is a roadside historical site on the open high plains, and much of the surrounding land is private ranch land, so it is important to respect private property, view the area from public roads and any designated pullouts, and not trespass or attempt to collect fossils, which is prohibited. Facilities are minimal, so bring water and be prepared for exposed, windy plains weather. Checking the current status and access of the site before you go is wise, as roadside attractions can change. Respecting the land and coming prepared ensures a good visit to Como Bluff in southern Wyoming.

Como Bluff and the Fossil Cabin are on the high plains of southern Wyoming between the towns of Medicine Bow and Rock River, within reach of the town of Laramie, the Snowy Range and Medicine Bow country, and the route toward Casper and the North Platte River. That makes Como Bluff a fascinating historical stop to combine with Medicine Bow, Laramie, and the other attractions of southern Wyoming on a drive across the state.