Hanson Research Station has new field station
Photos by Walter Sprague/NLJ A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Hanson Research Station on Monday, June 3. The facility is operated by the Southwestern Adventist University, located in Keene, Texas. Surrounded by fossil quarries, the station is located on the Hanson Ranch, about 35 miles southwest of Newcastle. The team from the university has dug and preserved the fossilized remains of dinosaurs of Edmontosaurus, Triceratops, and Tyrannosaurus, as well as others. For more information, visit dinosaur.swau.edu/project. To view a video of the ceremony, visit the News Letter Journal’s YouTube channel, youtu.be/t_NBZCAeut4. Above, Dr. Arthur Chadwick cuts the red ribbon during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Hanson Research Station, located on the Hanson ranch southwest of Newcastle, held a ribbon cutting for their new field station on Monday, June 3. A number of those involved with the Hanson Research Station over the years spoke at the ribbon cutting, expressing their appreciation for the new building and excitement for the future of the station.
A large bone bed of dinosaur fossils is located on the Hanson ranch, and taphonomic research (which deals with fossil deposits and how they were transported) has been conducted at the Hanson Research Station by a team from Southwestern Adventist University for several years.
“It’s been interesting to observe over the years the people that God has brought together to make this project come to fruition and starting with my grandfather thatm homesteaded here and my dad who had a heart to not sell the bones but to use them for creation research,” said Carolyn Johnson, owner of the Hanson ranch.
The new building was made possible by Maranatha Volunteers International, an organization that “fulfills requests for construction assistance,” according to its website. The organization receives funds for its projects from donors, and volunteers help with the construction.
The university also takes diggers out to the ranch every June to excavate fossils and conduct research, and they host an open house for the public every Father’s Day. This Sunday, June 16, the station’s annual open house will be held from 1 to 4 p.m., and attendees can learn about the work being done and see the new field station building.
