A Montreal Man’s Garage Holds a Potential Natural History Museum
A Montreal resident has amassed a collection of over 80,000 fossils in his garage, hoping to one day establish a much-needed natural history museum in Quebec. The impressive collection, accumulated over three decades, currently lacks a permanent display location.
Mario Cournoyer, a self-taught paleontologist, began collecting fossils in 1995 with his partner, Nathalie Daoust. The pair, both members of the Société de paléontologie du Québec, realized the scale of their hobby after years of expeditions across North America. They identified a gap in Quebec’s cultural landscape – the province lacks a dedicated national paleontology museum, despite institutions like the McGill University’s Redpath Museum.
“Our goal is to gather collections that will serve as a reference for Quebec fossils,” Cournoyer said.
Cournoyer founded the Musée de paléontologie et de l’évolution (MPE) in 2004, an organization now comprised of approximately 40 scientists and volunteers. The collection housed in his garage, located in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough, includes a mammoth femur, a giant trilobite cast, and prehistoric insects. The MPE is actively seeking funding and a suitable location to showcase the fossils to the public.
A femur originating from Russia was recently donated to the MPE by a collector from Laval. This addition underscores the breadth and international scope of Cournoyer’s collection.
The search for a display space comes as discoveries continue to be made even within Montreal itself. Fossils can be found in the stone walls of Old Montreal buildings, churches, and even Mount Royal Chalet, including gastropods, cephalopods, and other ancient marine life, as reported by the Club de minéralogie de Montréal. Approximately 450 million years ago, the area was submerged under tropical seas teeming with life.
The lack of a dedicated paleontology museum in Quebec highlights the necessitate for a space to preserve and showcase these important scientific and historical artifacts. The MPE’s efforts represent a grassroots movement to fill that void.
More details about Cournoyer’s collection can be found in Le Journal de Montréal.
Quebec Science as well reports on the search for a location for the museum.
