Ever wonder what secrets lie within Minnesota’s official natural history museum? The Bell Museum has been captivating visitors since 1872. It started as a collection of still life’s. Now, the Bell Museum is a dynamic journey through space and time.
The Bell Museum resides on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. It stands at 2088 Larpenteur Ave W in Falcon Heights. The museum moved here in 2018. Before that, it was on the Minneapolis campus. The Bell Museum’s new home brings together science, art, and the environment. It offers a unique Minnesota perspective.
Inside the Bell Museum, you will find a digital planetarium. High-tech exhibits await you. The famous wildlife dioramas are a must-see. Outdoor learning experiences abound. The Bell Museum is accessible to all.
One of the highlights is the Bell Museum’s world-famous dioramas. They tell stories of Minnesota’s diverse wildlife. These dioramas show animals in their natural habitats. Francis Lee Jaques painted the diorama backgrounds. He captured amazingly realistic scenes. Florence Jaques added secret details. Touchscreens reveal hidden critters. Taxidermists Walter Breckenridge and John Jarosz constructed the scenes. They made it hard to tell where the floor ends and the wall begins.
The wolf diorama has a special story. James Ford Bell, the founder of General Mills, donated half the funds for a new building. He wanted to promote the nobility of wolves. The museum completed the diorama in 1942. It shows three wolves hunting in Tettegouche State Park.
Another fascinating diorama features a moose. Walter Breckenridge led a hunt for a moose in 1944. He thought the moose was too small. But he had to make do. Back at the museum, Breck reconstructed the moose. He used papier-mâché over a makeshift skeleton. The moose turned out to be too tall for the diorama. So, Breck cut off three of its feet. He sank the legs into the mud.
Moving the dioramas to the new Bell Museum was a challenge. Workers cut the wall paintings into pieces. They carted them out on steel dollies. A crane lowered them into the new building. Then, they reassembled the paintings. Museum workers cleaned and reconstructed the scenes. They washed leaves by hand and touched up faded plumage. Restoration experts enhanced the dioramas. They scattered molted feathers and rippled the water.
The Bell Museum also houses the Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Planetarium. Here, you can journey from Earth to the edge of the universe. The planetarium uses a cutting-edge INSIGHT Dual Laser 4K projection system.
The Bell Museum’s collections include over 4 million specimens. These collections support research and teaching. The Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas is an online database. It contains data on birds, mammals, fishes, plants, and fungi.
The Bell Museum offers a Touch & See Lab. You can engage all your senses. Touch 10,000-year-old fossils. See living plants and animals. Explore the green roof and observation deck. Wander through the learning landscape. Discover native plants and geology gardens.
So, come to the Bell Museum. Explore Minnesota’s natural history. Engage with science, art, and the environment. See the world in a new way. The Bell Museum inspires you to appreciate the life around you.