Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc.

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The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc. (BHI) is a private corporation specializing in the excavation and preparation of fossils, as well as the sale of both original fossil material and museum-quality replicas. Founded in 1974 and based in Hill City, South Dakota, the company is most famous for excavating and selling some of the most complete specimens of Tyrannosaurus rex, including "Sue" and "Stan."[1] In 1992, the remains of "Sue" were seized from the BHI by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and were auctioned off five years later to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois for over US$8 million — the highest price ever paid for a fossil.[2] Neal Larson, a BHI vice-president, was sentenced to spend two years in federal prison for unrelated customs violations discovered in the raid.[3]

The BHI also operates the Black Hills Museum of Natural History in Hill City.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Allen Mills, Tony (Aug 26 2007). Dino hunter with a digger hits big time. The Sunday Times. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  2. ^ All About Sue: the largest, most complete, best preserved T. Rex. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.
  3. ^ Larson, Neal (May 18, 2000). The Story of a Dinosaur Named SUE. Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. Retrieved on 2008-02-22.

[edit] External links