Noted paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh’s subsequent publications about the discovery marked the beginning of what has been viewed by many as the most productive decade experienced by American paleontologists.  By 1889, the identification of seven new species of dinosaur at the site led to intensive and extensive explorations for dinosaur fossils in the western United States, resulting in a rapid advancement in the understanding not only of the biology and ecology of the Mesozoic but other geologic eras.