Iconic Nebraska-Carrie Barbour

One of the first female Paleontologists in North America was from Nebraska. Carrie Barbour’s work helped uncover Nebraska’s past and still leaves its mark today. In 1899 alone, she played a part in uncovering up to 20,000 samples of fossil species in Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. As the Assistant Curator of Paleontology at the University of Nebraska, Barbour prepared many of these specimens for exhibition to be studied by researchers from around the world. Some are still on display at Morrill Hall today. The most remarkable is likely the 10,000 year old mammoth fossils identified in Lincoln in 1909. Carrie became an Assistant Professor of Paleontology, breaking with tradition and training future paleo sleuths for 25 years. Carrie Barbour followed her passion for natural history, defying conventional gender roles to make lasting contributions to Nebraska.