How A South Dakota Cattle Ranch Led To A $50M Fossil Find

A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton unearthed in South Dakota has fetched a record price at auction. An unknown buyer placed the winning bid over the phone.

'Gus', a 38-foot-long, 12-foot-tall fossil, sold for more than $50 million ($50,130,000) at Sotheby’s in New York on Tuesday (July 14). The skeleton, which is about 67 million years old, is nicknamed Gus after the late Gary ‘Gus’ Licking, a cattle rancher from Harding County, who owned the land where the specimen was found.

The skeleton is one of the largest T. rex specimens ever found, with 183 fossilized bone elements, making it about 61% complete by bone count, or 75% to 80% complete by mass.

It was excavated in the Hell Creek Formation, a geological boneyard that stretches across South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, between 2021 and 2023.

The previous record for a fossil auction belonged to Apex the Stegosaurus, bought in 2024 by billionaire Ken Griffin for $44.6 million.

This is the second notable South Dakota skeleton to make worldwide headlines.

Back in 1997, 'Sue', a 42-foot-long, 13 foot-tall t rex, became the first dinosaur fossil ever sold at auction. The skeleton was unearthed in the summer of 1990 near the city of Faith. 'Sue' is now a permanent feature at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

Get our free mobile app

What Was It like to Vacation in South Dakota’s Black Hills 60 Years Ago?

This time of year our thoughts often turn to planning that perfect getaway to enjoy the warmer weather and extended daylight.

For a lot of us in South Dakota, that means a trek to the Black Hills and all of the things they have to offer.

But vacationing in western South Dakota is hardly a new concept. People from all over the globe have been coming to the area for decades.

Gallery Credit: Jeff Harkness/B1027.com

Welcome To South Dakota's Underwater Ghost Town

You may be thinking, "I didn't even know there was an underwater ghost town in South Dakota!" You're probably not alone, but- - surprise!

In fact, odds are pretty good that you have been there, maybe gone swimming off the sandy beach on the south shore, or fished for rainbow trout in it, maybe had a leisurely picnic beside it, or kayaked, even waterskied on it.

Any guesses?

Gallery Credit: Patty D