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Arizona Dinosaurs (page 1)

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Grand Canyon Caverns
Peach Springs, AZ
2006: 2017:
Grand Canyon Caverns was discovered in 1927. When no gold was found, it was turned into a tourist attraction. It was originally known as "Yampai Caverns" and later became "Coconino Caverns". In 1962, it became "Dinosaur Caverns" and later "Grand Canyon Caverns". The 12-foot-tall fiberglass T-Rex near the entrance was installed in the late 1950s or early 1960s by Victor Leon. The first photo above shows a postcard from around that time.

Inside the building, there is also a 15-foot-tall statue of Gertie, a giant ground sloth. Gertie was built to commemorate the skeletal remains found inside the cave. There was another dinosaur statue when the place was known as Dinosaur Caverns.

The statue shown in the third row above was probably built in the 1960s. I can't tell if it's made from concrete, some type of stone, or a mixture of both.

The 40-foot-long statue shown in the bottom two rows above was installed in 2013. In 2011, it was installed in San Juan Capistrano, CA at Zoomars Petting Zoo. The owner bought the statue in 2012 at an auction in Anaheim, CA for $12,000 and named it "Juan". The statue was originally painted a brownish green with a white underbelly. Supposedly, the statue was originally located at a shopping mall in Romania. The statue didn't conform to San Juan Capistrano regulations and the statue had to go. The owner had many offers before deciding on Grand Canyon Caverns where the statue has been reamed "Zoomie." It was repainted bright green after being installed at Grand Canyon Caverns. For more, see this website. [map]

Brontosaurus Sign
Peach Springs, AZ

2012:

2017:
This Brontosaurus sign is from the 1960s. It was restored in 2005. The sign was repainted by 2017. Much of the detail has been lost. Only the face was preserved. The sign is installed on Route 66 next to Grand Canyon Caverns. [map]

Crystal Forest Museum & Gift Shop
Holbrook, AZ
These four dinosaur statues are installed in front of the Crystal Forest Museum & Gift Shop. They appear to be from the 1950s or 1960s. [map]

Rainbow Rock Shop
Holbrook, AZ
The Rainbow Rock Shop sells petrified wood and other souvenir items. These dinosaur statues were all produced by Adam Luna who owned the store from 1987-1995. The statues are made of steel and concrete. [map]

Petrified Rock Garden [gone]
Holbrook, AZ
This pair of dinosaurs at the Petrified Rock Garden appear to be from the 1950s or 1960s. This souvenir shop was just up the street from the Rainbow Rock Shop described above. By 2022, the dinosaurs and all of the petrified wood were gone.

Stewart's Petrified Wood Shop
Holbrook, AZ
The Stewart's Petrified Wood Shop features souvenirs and lots of fun statues. The statues have been here since at least the 1990s but they might be from much earlier. [map]

Arizona Dinos
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