FRIDAY, May 29, 2026 |
Photo – Vernon “Scottie” Scott poses in front of the Fossil Cabin – Courtesy Oftedal Construction
Moving the Fossil Cabin was a team effort.
On May 13th, the South Dakota‑based motor carrier O’Neil House Moving transported the Fossil Cabin from the Como Bluffs to its permanent home at the Medicine Bow Museum. Although the physical move took just 44 minutes, it was nearly a decade in the making.
Built in 1932 by amateur fossil collector Thomas Boylan, the Fossil Cabin is made of more than 5,000 plant and animal fossils from the nearby Como Bluffs. Boylan created the roadside attraction to promote his Lincoln Highway fuel station east of Medicine Bow.
The Fossil Cabin served its purpose until the 1960s, when Interstate 80 diverted the majority of traffic off the Lincoln Highway. The Nash family bought the cabin in 1974 and operated a small dinosaur museum until 1992.
Time, vandals, and weather took a toll on the Fossil Cabin until, in 2018, the Nash family donated the unused building to the Medicine Bow Museum. To prevent further damage, the Friends of the Medicine Bow Museum chose to bring the Fossil Cabin onto the museum grounds. A mover was hired, but the contractor was either unable or unwilling to complete the job and the cabin remained at its original location until earlier this month.
Bigfoot99 and Bandit102 spoke with George Hruska, Business Development Director for Oftedal Construction in Casper. Hruska said that while reconstructing a county‑owned road near Medicine Bow in 2017, he learned about the effort to move the Fossil Cabin from then‑Virginian Hotel owners Vickie and Vernon “Scottie” Scott.
Hruska said Oftedal donated to multiple museum fundraisers and offered to help with the Fossil Cabin move in any way, even if only to film it. He said that over the years, repeated attempts to relocate the structure failed, leaving the Scotts, who were facing serious health issues, to wonder if they would live to see the move completed.
Hruska said last year, the Scotts informed him that the Friends of the Medicine Bow Museum secured a grant to hire O’Neil House Moving to relocate the Fossil Cabin. At the time, Hruska reached out to both the Carbon County Visitors Council and the moving company to offer Oftedal’s assistance. However, the project was delayed once again, this time to May 13th of this year.
After learning of the new scheduled start date, Hruska said Oftedal began documenting the move.
Hruska said before the move, he worried that wind would prevent him from using a drone to film the event. Instead, the day turned out to be unusually calm and he was able to document nearly the entire project.
After the Fossil Cabin reached the Medicine Bow Museum, Hruska met with Vernon “Scottie” Scott, who was pleased to see the project finally completed. Unfortunately, Scottie’s wife, Vickie, had died three days before the move and did not live to see it finished.
Hruska said he returned to the Oftedal offices in Casper to review the drone footage where he noticed how unusually calm conditions were on the day of the move. Hruska credited the lack of wind to Vickie’s presence.
Hruska said he expects the video of the Fossil Cabin move to be finished within two weeks. Once completed, the Carbon County Visitors Council will host the film on its website.
Hruska said the Fossil Cabin move was a large undertaking that required coordination among many individuals and groups, including Oftedal.
Out of all the people that made the move happen, Hruska called O’Neil House Moving the true heroes as they successfully moved the fragile building to its permanent home at the Medicine Bow Museum.
The job isn’t finished yet. Contractors must still secure the structure to the ground, after which the interior will be renovated to make it more accessible to visitors. The building is not expected to open to guests until next year.
