T. rex fossils arrive at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

The Nation’s T. Rex, discovered by a Montana rancher near Fort Peck Reservoir in 1988 and owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, is on loan to the Natural History Museum for 50 years.

It will replace a life-size T. rex replica that’s been displayed in the Natural History Museum’s dinosaur hall since 1999, shortly after the Smithsonian lost out on Sue, the world’s most famous dinosaur fossil, at a hotly contested auction.

“The absence of a T. rex was unforgivable,” Johnson said, standing among the crates. “It’s this amazing dream for me to get this iconic fossil.”