Selects: What Were the BONE WARS?

The "Bone Wars," a period of intense and sometimes unscrupulous competition to discover and classify dinosaur fossils, were greatly shaped by two key figures: Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. Their backgrounds, wealth, and approaches to science differed significantly but both contributed to the field of paleontology.

Marsh, Wealthy Family, Uncle's Support Enabled Paleontology At Yale

Born in October 1831 in New York, Othniel Charles Marsh came from a family of modest means with a background in farming. His life took a significant turn due to his wealthy uncle, George Peabody. Peabody funded Marsh's education, sending him to boarding school, then to Yale, and graduate school in Germany. His uncle's contribution of $150,000 to Yale led to the establishment of the Peabody Museum of Natural History and secured Marsh a position as the chair of the Paleontology Department.

Marsh was able to leverage his uncle's support as well as the assets of Yale and its families to finance his paleontological expeditions, which he oftentimes required students to pay for themselves.

Cope, Of a Prominent Philadelphia Family, Was a Self-Taught "Gentleman Naturalist" in Paleontology

Edward Drinker Cope, born in July 1840, hailed from a wealthy, well-known Philadelphia family. He dropped out of a prestigious boarding school at age 16, but benefited from his father's financial support, allowing him opportunities in education despite not completing high school. Cope was a self-taught scientist and belonged to the "gentleman naturalists" group. Despite early challenges in securing a position, Cope eventually became a professor of zoology at Haverford College, where he received an honorary Master of Arts degree. To fund his expeditions, he would often attach himself to other Western expeditions. ...

The once friendly relationship between paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope turned into a notorious rivalry filled with sabotage and treachery.

Paleontologists' Friendship Turned Competitive and Resentful

The origins of Marsh and Cope's relationship began amicably in 1863 when they met in Germany, bonded by their mutual passion for paleontology. After the Civil War, they returned to the U.S. with intentions to maintain their friendship and share information.

Marsh Undermined Cope By Hiring His Workers and Intercepting Discoveries

Their relationship began to sour when Cope invited Marsh to visit his fossil site in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Clark suggests that Marsh violated the unwritten rules of gentlemanly conduct by not just visiting but also stealing fossils from Cope's quarry. Marsh saw it as seizing an opportunity; to Cope, it was an unforgivable betrayal. Furthermore, Marsh bribed workers at Cope's dig sites to redirect significant finds to himself, deepening the rift between them and intensifying the rivalry.

Cope Embarrassed as Marsh Points Out Error in Dinosaur Reconstruction, Souring Relationship

The competition between the two turned personal when Marsh humiliated Cope by exposing that he had incorrectly mounted the head of an Elasmosaurus at the tail end of the skeleton. Cope, embarrassed by the error, tried in vain to recall copies of the journal that featured his mistaken reconstruction. Marsh’s insistence on t ...

The completion of the transcontinental railroad had profound effects on the field of paleontology, particularly spurring a fierce rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, two prominent figures whose obsession with discovering and naming fossils marked a significant era in scientific discovery.

Transcontinental Railroad Access to Fossil-Rich West Sparked Marsh-Cope Discovery Race

Once the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, fossil fields in the West became much more accessible. The climate and geology of the West were especially conducive to preserving dinosaur bones when compared to the East.

Marsh and Cope Used Hired Fossil Hunters Instead of Doing Their Own Field Work

Initially, Marsh and Cope would mount their own expeditions to dig for fossils. However, as time progressed, they began hiring fossil hunters to do the grunt work. These hired workers would excavate fossils and send them back East where Marsh and Cope could study them more conveniently.

Fossil Abundance in West Sparked Marsh-Cope Rivalry

The West, now accessible because of the Transcontinental Railroad, was yielding a wealth of well-preserved fossils due to its heat, dryness, and wind erosion. Trains would pass landscapes so strewn with dinosaur bones that the remnants were often mistaken for rock outcroppings.

Rushed Taxonomy Due to Competitive Species Naming

As th ...

The notorious rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope became known as the "Bone Wars," and though it fueled significant advances in paleontology, it did so at great personal cost and through controversial means.

Marsh and Cope Sabotaged Each Other's Fossil Sites

Destroying Fossils to Prevent Claims

Marsh notoriously ordered his men to smash bones they couldn't extract from fossil sites to prevent Cope from getting them. Additionally, they destroyed smaller finds they deemed less important to avoid Cope using them for his research.

Marsh-Cope Rivalry Led To Financial Ruin

Cope Died Poor, Selling Fossils to Make Ends Meet

Both Cope and Marsh faced financial disaster as a result of their relentless rivalry. They reportedly went as far as sabotaging and stealing from each other. Cope died poor, having to sell off his fossil collection piece by piece to make ends meet, including selling his family farm to continue funding expeditions. He even invested in a silver mine that ultimately failed, contributing to his penury.

Marsh Lost Collection After US Seized It Under His Own Law Targeting Cope's Holdings

Marsh suffered his own downfall when a law he helped create backfired on him. The law stipulated that fossils found during government-funded expeditions belonged to the government. Although intended to target Cope's holdings, it eventually led to Marsh losing a significant portion of his own collection and job after Cope demonstrated that he had personally funded most of his own collection.

Marsh and Cope's Rivalry Fueled New Dinosaur Discoveries In the American West

Uncovered Species of the Bone W ...