Located
in the City of Chicago, the Field Museum
of Natural History shares its campus with
Soldier Field (a football stadium), the
Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium.
Constructed in 1893 and named the “Columbian
Museum of Chicago”, it was originally
made to work alongside the World Columbian
Exposition of the 1890s. The original
purpose of the building was to house the
"accumulation and dissemination of
knowledge, and the preservation and exhibition
of objects illustrating art, archaeology,
science and history."
In 1905 the name of the museum was changed
to the “Field Museum of Natural
History” to honour the museum's
first major benefactor, one Mr. Marshall
Field. The building is organized into
four major departments: Anthropology,
Zoology, Botany, and Geology. Some of
its prize exhibits include “Sue”
(the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus
rex fossil skeleton), a comprehensive
set of human cultural anthropology exhibits
(including objects from ancient Egypt,
the Pacific Northwest, and Tibet), and
a huge taxidermy collection featuring
many large animals.
People
from all over the world visit the Field
Museum of Natural History to educate themselves
about the world around them. The American
Department of Education offers a changing
program of classes, lectures, field trips,
museum overnights and special events for
families, adults and children. Also, the
museum's curatorial and scientific staff
conduct basic research in the fields in
the departments of Anthropology, Biology,
Geology, and Zoology.
Field
Museum Travel Links |
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