The first skeleton of Diplodocus, one of the largest and most iconic sauropod dinosaurs, was unearthed at the Como Bluff fossil beds in Wyoming. The site, rich with Jurassic-era fossils, became central to the 'Bone Wars,' a period of intense rivalry between American paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope. This discovery and subsequent finds at Como Bluff dramatically increased knowledge of dinosaur diversity and size.

The discovery of Diplodocus, with its immense size and elongated neck, became a symbol of the incredible scale and strangeness of the prehistoric world. It captured the public imagination and inspired writers and poets to contemplate the lost landscapes of the Mesozoic era. The 'Bone Wars' themselves became a dramatic narrative of scientific competition and discovery, a story that has been retold in various literary forms and has influenced the cultural image of the paleontologist as a heroic adventurer.