George F. Sternberg Digital Collections

The George F. Sternberg Digital Collection features images dating from approximately 1906 through the 1950’s. Sternberg was already a well-renown paleontologist following in the footsteps of his uncle, Dr. George Miller Sternberg, and his father, Charles Hazelius Sternberg, when he was hired by the Kansas State Teachers College at Hays (now Fort Hays State University) as curator of its museum in 1927. These images are significant as they serve as both a primary source for Sternberg’s paleontological discoveries and as a source for the history of Fort Hays State University. Included are images of Plesiosaurs, Mosasaurs, and mammoth fossils. Iconic images of the fourteen-foot Xiphactinus with a six-foot Gillicus fish it had swallowed, more commonly known as the “Fish within a Fish” fossil, are featured in this collection. Other photos reference George’s time in Canada and Patagonia, as well as Wyoming and other places in Kansas.

For more information, see the full finding aid.

Content Disclaimer: The primary source materials contained in the Fort Hays State University Special Collections and Archives have been placed there for research purposes, preservation of the historical record, and as reflections of a past belonging to all members of society. Because this material reflects the expressions of an ongoing culture, some items in the collections may be sensitive in nature and may not represent the attitudes, beliefs, or ideas of their creators, persons named in the collections, or the position of Fort Hays State University.