by Terry Wentz

October 1997

On May 12th, 1992 the Federal government mounted a raid on the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc. to seize "Sue" the Tyrannosaurus rex along with records and photographs related to Sue and a handful of other fossils collected around the time she was found. The raid was mounted by the FBI with help from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, the Forest Service, the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management and the National Guard. All except the National Guard had been part of a "Multi-State Federal Task Force" investigating "fossil theft." Sue was seized under the pretense that she was stolen from the federal government. The acting U. S. Attorney for South Dakota claimed he was saving the fossil from being sold (Sue was never for sale and had been donated to the non-profit Black Hills Museum of Natural History), to assure that the people of the United States would always have access to the magnificent fossil for display, research and education.

The Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in August 1990 by Susan Hendrickson (whom the fossil was named after) on the ranch of Maurice Williams, a registered member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian tribe. Williams ranch is located within the boundaries of the Sioux Reservation in north central South Dakota. The Black Hills Institute received permission to excavate the fossil from Williams and purchased the T. rex from him. Sue was found on a part of his ranch that later turned out to be held in "trust for the benefit of Maurice Williams" by the Federal Government. The court eventually returned "Sue" to the rancher, voiding the contract between the Institute and Maurice Williams who had originally sold the fossil to the Institute. The Federal judge also denied any reimbursement to the Institute for the $209,000 of excavation, preparation and research work invested in the fossil stating that since the Institute failed to get permission from the Government to purchase the fossil they had no claim to any compensation.