These pages provide a look into the history of the UC Museum of Paleontology and of paleontology at Cal in general, from the early 1870s to the 2000s.
The history and development of UCMP
Excerpts from a paper researched and written in 2004 by Professor Jere Lipps. A six-part series.
- The foundations of paleontology in California and at Berkeley (1843-1874)
Fossil discoveries and the Geological Survey of California - The impact of Joseph LeConte (1869-1901)
The first lectures on natural history and the growth of collections - A paleontology program develops (1894-1950)
The influence of John Merriam and Annie Alexander - Growing pains (1920-1940)
UCMP is born out of a department in turmoil - Post-World War II prosperity (1940-1960)
Berkeley becomes a center for paleontology - Biology and public outreach (1960-2000s)
The biological sciences reorganizes and UCMP increases its visibility
Important figures in the history of UCMP
- John C. Merriam (1869-1945)
Vertebrate paleontologist - Annie Montague Alexander (1867-1950)
Benefactress of UCMP - Ralph Works Chaney (1890-1971)
Paleobotanist - Robert Minssen Kleinpell (1905-1986)
Micropaleontologist and biostratigrapher - William Gordon Huff (1903-1993)
A special exhibit, The Art of Sculptor William Gordon Huff - Samuel P. Welles (1909-1997)
Vertebrate paleontologist; over 60 years with UCMP
UCMP Directors
- Bruce L. Clark (1880-1945), first director of UCMP
- William D. Matthew (1871-1930), second director of UCMP
- Charles L. Camp (1893-1975), third director of UCMP
- Ruben A. Stirton (1901-1966), fourth director of UCMP
- Donald E. Savage (1917-1999), fifth director of UCMP
- Joseph T. Gregory (1914-2007), sixth director of UCMP
- William B.N. Berry, seventh director of UCMP
- William A. Clemens, Jr. (1932-2020), eighth director of UCMP
- Jere H. Lipps, ninth director of UCMP
Historic adventures in the field
Photos and descriptions of important UCMP fossil-collecting expeditions
- The Saurian Expedition of 1905
Annie Alexander and an expedition to the West Humboldt Mountains of Nevada to collect ichthyosaurs - The 1901 Fossil Lake Expedition
A fossil-collecting expedition to central Oregon, financed and led by Annie Alexander - The 1901-1903 Shasta County Expeditions: collecting Triassic marine reptile fossils in the Hosselkus Limestone
- R.A. Stirton: pioneer of Australian mammalian paleontology [PDF]
Prior to 1953, the fossil record of pre-Pleistocene mammals in Australia was essentially unknown but within about a ten-year period Ruben Stirton and his graduate students would discover dozens of new species.