The Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois



In 1893, when the World's Columbian Exposition closed down, an estimated 28 million visitors left the city of Chicago and returned home. The exposition was organized to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World, it became a defining moment in the history of the city and all that remained of the fairgrounds was the Palace of Fine Arts. On this site, on June 2nd 1894, the Field Museum of Natural History first opened its doors to the public.

The museum was the dream of Harvard professor Fredric Ward Putnam, in 1891; he anticipated having memorabilia and archaeological artifacts leftover from the Columbia Exposition. Putnam approached the members of the Commercial Club of Chicago about the preservation of the artifacts and establishing a museum. Retail magnate Marshall Field heard about the dilemma and presented the group with a check for $1 million, and the museum became a reality.

In the beginning, the museum was divided into four categories; botany, zoology, geology and anthropology. However, over time, the collections housed in the museum outgrew the location and in the early part of the 20th century, plans were drawn up to build a new museum. A new marble structure was built in Grant Park, and was financed by Stanley Field, nephew of Marshall, the new museum opened to the public on May 2nd, 1921.

The museum is home to several permanent exhibits that visitors and locals enjoy. There are animal exhibits such as the Nature Walk, Mammals of Asia, Mammals of Africa and several others, that allow guests to get a first-hand look at the different habitats the animals live in. The museum has an Underground Adventure exhibit that shows people about the life below their feet. Visitors get a chance to see a scale of the exhibit that is 100 times larger than normal; learn about plant health, insect life and soil biodiversity.

The Inside Ancient Egypt exhibit gives guests a chance to see how ancient Egyptians lived. There are twenty-three mummies, mummified animals, hieroglyphics and a replica of a burial chamber. The display contains interactive and educational pictures and information. One particular point of interest in the exhibit is the mummy Unis-Ankh, son of the pharaoh Unas, his tomb has been recreated in a mastada.

There are several other exhibits such as; the Evolving Planet, Dioramas and the Granger Hall of Gems. The Working Laboratories have the DNA Discovery Lab, where visitors can actually view scientists doing DNA extractions from a variety of organisms. Other exhibits include the countries of Tibet, China, Pacific Islands and Africa. Since the museum was originally founded, it has evolved into one of the most formidable natural history museums in the world and continues to be one of the most visited locations in the city of Chicago.

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