Grand Junction's New Brachiosaurus Will Be Hard to Miss

Both the Museum of Western Colorado and the Grand Junction Regional Airport are dreaming big, and we are all for it. Imagine stepping off a plane at Walker Field and being greeted by a towering, life-size Brachiosaurus?

The Museums of Western Colorado’s campaign to install a full-scale replica of one of Grand Junction’s oldest fossil discoveries at the airport seems like a fun way to welcome guests to the Grand Valley, but can we make it happen?

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Why Is a Giant Brachiosaurus Coming to Grand Junction?

Grand Junction Airport Lands $12.5M For New Runways — Google Street

If the goal is to make Grand Junction’s dino heritage impossible to miss, this ought to do it. With the addition of the Brachiosaurus, Grand Junction Regional Airport would be the site that welcomes visitors to Western Colorado and sends them to our museums, fossil sites, and even down the Dinosaur Byway. The “Bringing Our Brach Home Project” would be a celebration of the region that discovered the first Brachiosaurus 126 years ago, just off Highway 340 at Riggs Hill.

Just How Big Will the Dinosaur Be?

Why a Massive Brachiosaurus Is Coming to Grand Junction — Canva Pro

The replica would be impressive, to say the least. Plans call for a 45-foot-tall, 75-foot-long Brachiosaurus. This would make Grand Junction home to one of the largest public dinosaur displays. Such a replica won’t come cheap and is expected to require $1 million by the time fundraising is complete. Click here to see a rendering from the Museum of Western Colorado.

The Incredible Story Started Right Here in Western Colorado

Elmer Riggs Photo Display at Dinosaur Hill — TSM GJ W Adams

I like this idea simply because Fruita & Grand Junction have tons of dinosaur history worth celebrating. It’s extremely unlikely that two dinosaurs would both be discovered within a few miles of each other by the same individuals at the turn of the 20^th century. The Brachiosaurus at Riggs Hill (Redlands) and the Brontosaurus at Dinosaur Hill (Fruita).

Elmer Riggs sent his original discovery, Brachiosaurus altithorax, off to the Field Museum in Chicago (See it here). Reaching the fundraising goal would mean the chance to bring a replica of the original back home to Grand Junction.

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Gallery Credit: Waylon Jordan

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Gallery Credit: Wesley Adams