Few people would build a house in a graveyard – and no one would build it out of the bones of the bodies buried there. Yet, both statements are true of little sheepherder’s cabin east of Medicine Bow, Wyoming.

“Fossil Bone Cabin,” estimated to have been built in the 1800s, was resourcefully constructed the way many homes were back then: with the materials at hand. In this case, that happened to be an abundance of fossilized dinosaur bones. The cabin’s original builder didn’t know he was using bones to build his home, nor could he imagine that it would become the center of interest in the archaeological world.

Fossil Bone Cabin appears to be constructed of mortar and stone - but those "rocks" are really dinosaur bones.
Jeffrey Beall/Flickr
Two different stories are told about how Fossil Bone Cabin and the surrounding graveyard on Como Bluff were discovered. Both involve professors who stumbled upon the area and later found out the historical significance.
Mark Ryan/Flickr
The oldest story dates back to 1877 when Yale University Professor Othneil Marsh was made aware that there was a "field of dinosaurs" in southern Wyoming that stretched for miles.

The other tells the tale of how paleontologist Walter W. Granger discovered Fossil Bone Cabin in 1897 and recognized the "stones" it was made of to be fossilized bones. Not much investigating was required to find the source of the numerous artifacts, as the hill nearby was covered in heaps of them.
Maybe both stories are true. What is known is that by 1898 the entire area was being aggressively excavated by archeologists excited by the find.
Wikipedia
Como Bluff has remained a dig site over the years, with many finds proudly being displayed in the U.S. and Europe.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM
The truckloads of fossilized bones that have been found were all jumbled up, like a massive jigsaw puzzle. Some of the dinosaur remains found at Como Bluff that could positively be identified include Apatosaurus (AKA: Brontosaurus), Camarasaurus, Diplodocus, and Barosaurus.
Since its discovery in the late 1800s the cabin has been a private home and a museum.
Jasperdo/Flickr

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During its time as a museum, the Fossil Bone Cabin proudly displayed samples of the fossils found nearby...
Oliver S/TripAdvisor
...as well as historical photos...
Oliver S/TripAdvisor
...and fun facts about the history of the cabin and Como Bluff.
Oliver S/TripAdvisor
Fossil Bone Cabin has been described as "the world's oldest building" - an accurate claim based on the age of the materials used.
Today, the cabin and Como Bluff are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
It's still an oddity that's one of a kind in the state and the whole country.
Jasperdo/Flickr

Many areas in Wyoming are rife with dinosaur remains. What ones have you visited?

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