| Cabazon Dinosaurs | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Novelty architecture |
| Town or city | Cabazon, California |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 33°55′13″N 116°46′22″W / 33.92028°N 116.77278°W |
| Construction started | 1964 (Dinny) / 1981 (Mr. Rex) |
| Completed | 1975 (Dinny) / 1986 (Mr. Rex) |
| Cost | $300,000 (Dinny) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Claude K. Bell |
| Structural engineer | Gerald Hufstetler |
Cabazon Dinosaurs, formerly Claude Bell's Dinosaurs, is a roadside attraction in Cabazon, California, featuring two enormous, steel-and-concrete dinosaurs named Dinny the Dinosaur and Mr. Rex. Located just west of Palm Springs, the 150-foot-long (46 m) Brontosaurus and the 65-foot-tall (20 m) Tyrannosaurus rex are visible from the freeway to travelers passing by on Southern California's Interstate 10.[1] The roadside dinosaurs are best known for their appearance in the film Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985).[2]
Sculptor and theme park artist Claude Bell began construction of the dinosaurs in 1964 with the goal of attracting more customers to his nearby restaurant, the Wheel Inn (open from 1958 to 2013). Dinny and Mr. Rex were completed in 1975 and 1986, respectively.[3] Bell died in 1988 at age 91 and his family sold the property in the mid-1990s.[4] The new ownership turned the attraction into a roadside creationist museum in 2005, but creationist material has since been removed.[5][6]
- ^ Yanez, Laura (October 1, 2013). "Landmark Wheel Inn Restaurant closes at Cabazon Dinosaurs". KESQ-TV. Gulf-California Broadcast Company. Archived from the original on 2014-11-19. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ^ Taete, Jamie Lee (September 4, 2013). "Pee-Wee Herman's Dinosaurs Are Actually a Creationist Museum". Vice. Archived from the original on 2017-04-24. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ^ Garcia, Catherine (March 15, 2011). "Dinosaurs Keep Watch Over Cabazon". Patch. Banning-Beaumont, CA. Archived from the original on 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ^ Morton, Ella (November 12, 2013). "Pee-Wee's Big, Adventurous, 6,000-Year-Old Dinosaurs". Slate. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
- ^ Powers, Ashley (August 27, 2005). "Adam, Eve and T. Rex: Giant roadside dinosaur attractions are used by a new breed of creationists as pulpits to spread their version of Earth's origins". Los Angeles Times. p. A-1. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
- ^ "Cabazon Dinosaurs". Atlas Obscura. Archived from the original on 2021-06-20. Retrieved 2023-07-02.