This is Cleveland’s Museum of Natural
History… I learned that Cleveland's first collection of natural history was
established in the 1830s. It was in a
small, wooden building, located in Cleveland’s public square, and it was named "the
Ark." The Cleveland Museum of Natural History was founded by Cyrus S.
Eaton in 1920. Its objectives were and
are to perform research, educate the public and to develop collections in the
fields of anthropology, archaeology, astronomy, botany, geology, paleontology,
wildlife biology, and zoology.
Today, The Cleveland Museum of Natural
History is considered by many to be one of the finest natural history museums
in North America. The facility and staff
have placed and ongoing emphasis on scientific research, conservation and
education. To learn more about Cyrus
Eaton…an interesting character and multimillionaire…just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_S._Eaton.
This is a diorama of the Australian
outback… I’m sure that one of the reasons that David II likes this museum is
because he loves…always has loved dioramas.
We certainly have that trait in common.
As in many natural history museums, there
are lots of mounted heads and full sized animals ‘preserved’ through the art of
taxidermy. Although I realize that many
people would never see what a significant number of these animals look like if
they weren’t represented in a museum, I still find these presentations a little
disquieting. (Bass Pro and Cabela’s presentations impact me even more than a
museum does…)
This is a Leopard…although its spots look
more like what I’d expect on a Jaguar.
Leopards are much leaner than the heavier framed Jaguars…
Note: The Cleveland Museum of
Natural History’s collections total more than four million items and
include specimens of paleontology, zoology, archeology, mineralogy,
ornithology, and a variety of other scientific subjects.
Another wildlife diorama…this time it shows
life on the African veldt.
This diorama shows what the Great Plains
of the United States might have looked like back in the days before we killed off
almost all of the herds of Buffalo.
The dioramas at the museum aren’t limited
to depictions of wildlife. There are a
number of displays that show what life in pre-history America was like. This one is all about Indians living in the
southwestern USA.
Life wasn’t easy for those early American’s!
Many of the dioramas, that depict life in
America before the white man, are juxtaposed among items from everyday life…skillfully
crafted by Native Americans. We have a
few baskets and pots at home. We really
appreciated the art and skill involved in creating these items…
These Indian artifacts are from the
Northwestern United States, plus Alaska and British Columbia.
Note: Are you more interested
in the stars than in earthly pursuits? In
2002, a new planetarium was built near the entrance to the museum. It contains displays on the planets in the
Solar System as well as historical instruments of exploration such as compasses
and astrolabes.
Balto is perhaps the most famous Siberian
Husky that ever lived… Balto led his team of sled dogs on the final leg of the
1925 serum run to Nome Alaska. Diphtheria
antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train
and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease. The run is commemorated by the annual
Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Note: A statue of Balto can also be found
in New York City’s Central Park. For
more about Balto, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto.
This is a Triceratops… It has a large
bony frill and three horns on its very large four-legged body and it sort of
mentally suggest similarities with today’s rhinoceros, Triceratops is one of
the most recognizable of all dinosaurs.
A full grown Triceratops might have weighed as much as 13 tons!
This is a Haplocanthosaurus, a ‘small’ member
of the sauropod family. This group of
dinosaurs had very long necks, long tails and small heads relative to the rest
of their body. They also had thick,
pillar-like legs. They are notable for the enormous sizes attained by some
species. (Some weighed up to 110 tons!) This group includes the largest animals
to have ever lived on land.
I’ve just touched the surface as regards
the many exhibits at this museum. There
is an extensive collection of monkey, ape and 3,100 human skeletons. One section of the museum houses an extensive
mineralogy collection including a moon rock and a very impressive gem
collection. There are also multiple
mastodon and mammoth specimens plus a collection of 30,000 plant fossils. If this isn’t enough, adjoining the museum there
is The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden which displays living native
animals and plants. Visitors can see Bald Eagles, owls, deer, foxes, bobcats,
hawks and other creatures in enclosures designed to resemble their natural
habitats…all set beneath a canopy of tulip, oak, beech and maple trees.
This is the most important exhibit of all... It's 'da boys! David II, David III and Emmett Lee... We are lucky to have them all!
Our family really enjoyed our visit to
the Cleveland Museum of Natural History!
Be sure and check it out if your travels take you to northern Ohio. The museum is open 7 days a week. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for youth
over 3 as well as for seniors. The
museum is located at 1 Wade Oval Drive, University Circle, Cleveland Ohio. Phone: 216-231-4600. Website: http://cmnh.org/site/Index.aspx.
Just click on any of the photos to
enlarge them… (Laurie played the role of photo editor for this blog...in addition to her normal copy editing)
Thanks for joining us on this educational
adventure!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
