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If you’ve ever driven south or gone on a hike through Saskatchewan’s hills and coulees and wondered what might be buried beneath them, here’s your answer: Scotty, the world’s largest Tyrannosaurus Rex, was dug up just a few hours away from Moose Jaw — and (s)he’s turning 34 this month.
[Editorial note/correction: On balance, scientists studying 'Scotty' believe the evidence points to the skeleton being female. However, no evidence so far has definitely confirmed the sex. The name comes from the drink researchers celebrated the find with.]
Discovered on August 16, 1991 by high school principal Robert Gebhardt in the Frenchman River Valley near Eastend, Saskatchewan, Scotty remains the heaviest and most complete T.rex ever found. To celebrate the anniversary of her unearthing, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina and the T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend are each hosting special events on Saturday, August 16.
“Scotty changed what paleontologists thought about T.rex — how big they could get, how long they could live. And it was found right here in Saskatchewan,” said museum staff. “It’s a story worth celebrating.”
Activities in Regina
At the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Regina — home to a life-sized cast of Scotty’s skeleton in the CN T.rex Gallery — events on the 16th will include:
- Live music with Mz. Muzik (Sharon Gudereit) at 1:30 p.m., with singalongs at 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.
- Scotty Talks presentations at 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30 p.m.
- A hands-on Learning Lab and a chance to meet the museum’s dinosaur mascots.
One of the fun installations in the museum is a platform adjacent to the skeleton that visitors can stand on to feel a T.rex roar: The sound of that call in a wild, dangerous jungle eons ago would have shaken the ground underfoot.
The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is by donation.
Fossil fun in Eastend
Meanwhile, the T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend — just under a four-hour drive from Moose Jaw, ironically in the far southwestern portion of the province — will be serving cupcakes and cookies while supplies last and hosting a family-friendly Scotty scavenger hunt, as well as a 2 p.m. presentation on the region’s fossilized plants and animals. New discoveries are made all the time at active nearby dig sites, and through tips from visitors exploring the area's trails.
Daily drop-in kids’ programs also continue until Labour Day. The centre is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and admission is also by donation.
“The Discovery Centre sits right in the fossil-rich hills where Scotty was found,” staff noted. “It’s not just a museum — it’s still an active research site where you can often see teams working in the summer.”
For more about Scotty, current exhibits, and how to plan your visit, head to: royalsaskmuseum.ca.