Paleontologist
Author
RMcKBird: Roland Thaxter Bird was born at 600 Milton Road, Rye, NY, 29 Dec 1899, to Henry and Elmira Bird. When 14 he went to live in Grahamsville with his uncle, Thomas H. Smith, and did not finish high school. He started traveling about 1920 and worked with a wealthy cattleman, Marcus A. Milam, in Florida showing his cattle -- he loved cows. He eventually passed through all 48 contiguous states on a Harley motorcycle with a sidecar that he rebuilt as a mini-camper. He "circumnavigated" Mexico on his Harley with Theodore Schreiber, from Arizona to Texas, perhaps the first person to do so (he left a typed journal). Discovery of a giant fossil amphibian in 1931 led to his working for the famous paleontologist, Barnum
Brown, of the Amer. Mus. of Nat. Hist. (NYC) as a collector and preparator of dinosaur bones and tracks, found in mines, by rivers, etc. He found the first published sauropod (Pleurocoelus) tracks, many of which are on display at the AMNH and several other institutions. During WWII he was contracted to find radioactive uranium-containing carnotite in the Four-Corners region. He had to retire early for health reasons, but wrote the manuscript for his well known book, "Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter", posthumously published and added to by colleagues, as well as various articles. He died Jan 24, 1978; he had asked to be buried in his beloved Grahamsville.
See: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html and other websites for more
YES HE WAS FAMOUS
contributed by Robert Bird 21 Sep 2011, edited Oct 2012
Picture edit:
Roland on his Harley-Davidson, near
Grahamsville, 1929 (perhaps on South Hill)
Author
RMcKBird: Roland Thaxter Bird was born at 600 Milton Road, Rye, NY, 29 Dec 1899, to Henry and Elmira Bird. When 14 he went to live in Grahamsville with his uncle, Thomas H. Smith, and did not finish high school. He started traveling about 1920 and worked with a wealthy cattleman, Marcus A. Milam, in Florida showing his cattle -- he loved cows. He eventually passed through all 48 contiguous states on a Harley motorcycle with a sidecar that he rebuilt as a mini-camper. He "circumnavigated" Mexico on his Harley with Theodore Schreiber, from Arizona to Texas, perhaps the first person to do so (he left a typed journal). Discovery of a giant fossil amphibian in 1931 led to his working for the famous paleontologist, Barnum
Brown, of the Amer. Mus. of Nat. Hist. (NYC) as a collector and preparator of dinosaur bones and tracks, found in mines, by rivers, etc. He found the first published sauropod (Pleurocoelus) tracks, many of which are on display at the AMNH and several other institutions. During WWII he was contracted to find radioactive uranium-containing carnotite in the Four-Corners region. He had to retire early for health reasons, but wrote the manuscript for his well known book, "Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter", posthumously published and added to by colleagues, as well as various articles. He died Jan 24, 1978; he had asked to be buried in his beloved Grahamsville.
See: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html and other websites for more
YES HE WAS FAMOUS
contributed by Robert Bird 21 Sep 2011, edited Oct 2012
Picture edit:
Roland on his Harley-Davidson, near
Grahamsville, 1929 (perhaps on South Hill)
Paleontologist
Author
RMcKBird: Roland Thaxter Bird was born at 600 Milton Road, Rye, NY, 29 Dec 1899, to Henry and Elmira Bird. When 14 he went to live in Grahamsville with his uncle, Thomas H. Smith, and did not finish high school. He started traveling about 1920 and worked with a wealthy cattleman, Marcus A. Milam, in Florida showing his cattle -- he loved cows. He eventually passed through all 48 contiguous states on a Harley motorcycle with a sidecar that he rebuilt as a mini-camper. He "circumnavigated" Mexico on his Harley with Theodore Schreiber, from Arizona to Texas, perhaps the first person to do so (he left a typed journal). Discovery of a giant fossil amphibian in 1931 led to his working for the famous paleontologist, Barnum
Brown, of the Amer. Mus. of Nat. Hist. (NYC) as a collector and preparator of dinosaur bones and tracks, found in mines, by rivers, etc. He found the first published sauropod (Pleurocoelus) tracks, many of which are on display at the AMNH and several other institutions. During WWII he was contracted to find radioactive uranium-containing carnotite in the Four-Corners region. He had to retire early for health reasons, but wrote the manuscript for his well known book, "Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter", posthumously published and added to by colleagues, as well as various articles. He died Jan 24, 1978; he had asked to be buried in his beloved Grahamsville.
See: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html and other websites for more
YES HE WAS FAMOUS
contributed by Robert Bird 21 Sep 2011, edited Oct 2012
Picture edit:
Roland on his Harley-Davidson, near
Grahamsville, 1929 (perhaps on South Hill)
Author
RMcKBird: Roland Thaxter Bird was born at 600 Milton Road, Rye, NY, 29 Dec 1899, to Henry and Elmira Bird. When 14 he went to live in Grahamsville with his uncle, Thomas H. Smith, and did not finish high school. He started traveling about 1920 and worked with a wealthy cattleman, Marcus A. Milam, in Florida showing his cattle -- he loved cows. He eventually passed through all 48 contiguous states on a Harley motorcycle with a sidecar that he rebuilt as a mini-camper. He "circumnavigated" Mexico on his Harley with Theodore Schreiber, from Arizona to Texas, perhaps the first person to do so (he left a typed journal). Discovery of a giant fossil amphibian in 1931 led to his working for the famous paleontologist, Barnum
Brown, of the Amer. Mus. of Nat. Hist. (NYC) as a collector and preparator of dinosaur bones and tracks, found in mines, by rivers, etc. He found the first published sauropod (Pleurocoelus) tracks, many of which are on display at the AMNH and several other institutions. During WWII he was contracted to find radioactive uranium-containing carnotite in the Four-Corners region. He had to retire early for health reasons, but wrote the manuscript for his well known book, "Bones for Barnum Brown: Adventures of a Dinosaur Hunter", posthumously published and added to by colleagues, as well as various articles. He died Jan 24, 1978; he had asked to be buried in his beloved Grahamsville.
See: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/onheel.html and other websites for more
YES HE WAS FAMOUS
contributed by Robert Bird 21 Sep 2011, edited Oct 2012
Picture edit:
Roland on his Harley-Davidson, near
Grahamsville, 1929 (perhaps on South Hill)
Inscription
At top: drawing of a sauropod
ROLAND THAXTER BIRD / 1899 – 1978 / DISCOVERER OF / SAUROPOD DINOSAUR FOOTPRINTS / HIS WIFE / HAZEL RUSSELL BIRD / 1906
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