Cabazon Dinosaurs
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The Dinosaurs at Cabazon
As a child, our family never passed the Wheel Inn without stopping to eat. We were not far from Cabazon and had to pass it on trips to Palm Springs or on vacations heading east on Interstate 10. In 1958, Claude K Bell opened his restaurant. He started the brontosaurus in 1964 to draw in more business. When I had kids and we headed east on the 10 freeway, we also stopped at the Wheel Inn. Now that I am raising my grandson, we still stop at the Wheel Inn. It's just one of those things that families do as a tradition.
Eat at the Wheel Inn or feed your child to the dinosaur. Both choices are available.
The photos are mine and taken in 2003 and 12/31/2011.
Eat at the Wheel Inn or feed your child to the dinosaur. Both choices are available.
The photos are mine and taken in 2003 and 12/31/2011.
Rex and Dinny
New Years Eve 2011
Niles, 2 1/2 years old, at the foot (literally) of the dinosaur in 2003
Niles, slightly bigger than the toe now
Niles and Gary with Rex
The little red dot is Niles
Who is Claude K Bell?
He was much more than just a dinosaur builder.The story is told that he went to South Atlantic City as a boy and was very impressed by a gigantic elephant named Lucy. It was actually a building shaped like an elephant. That is apparently what sparked his interest in sculpting and led him to create statuary for Knott's Berry Farm and Calico Ghost Town. When he opened the Wheel Inn in Cabazon, it gave him the opportunity to create the giant sculptures he fell in love with as a boy.
Here is the opportunity to meet Diney and Mr. Rex. Diney (Dine-y) is 150-feet-long and Mr. Rex is 65-feet-tall.
There is a gift shop inside Diney but the building inside Mr. Rex has never been open to the public. Before his death in 1988 at the age of 91, Mr. Bell had plans to add a saber-tooth tiger and a giant woolly mammoth. Both of them actually inhabited the area.
Photo:
Claude Bell in his new "Artist's Studio" at Knott's Berry Farm, drawing Ed Strouse, Feb. 1954.
"Photo courtesy Orange County Archives"
Photo from the Los Angeles Times archives.
March 23, 1970: Sculptor Claude K. Bell with his 45-foot- tall, 150-foot-long brontosaur in Cabazon next to Interstate 10. Bell, a Knott's Berry Farm sculptor and portrait artist, opened the Wheel Inn cafe in 1958. To attract customers, he began building dinosaurs.
What does Claude K Bell have to do with Knott's Berry Farm and Calico Ghost Town?
Learned something new! Check out this link and look at the pictures of the similarities between the Knott's Berry Farm statues and those at Calico Ghost Town and the Wheel Inn. This blog is full of great information.
- Siblings of Soutern California - Check out the great pictures of Mr. Bell's sculptures at Knott's and Calico
- "One more Walter Knott connection that many people do not know about are the dinosaurs that sit along Interstate 10 in Cabazon, California. The creator of these magnificent structures was Claude Bell (1897-1988). Claude was a sculptor for Walter Knott and he created most of the statues at Knott's. To attract customers to his Wheel Inn Cafe, which opened in 1958, Dinny, the first of the Cabazon dinosaurs, was started in 1964 and created over a span of eleven years. Bell created Dinny out of spare material salvaged from the construction of nearby Interstate 10 at a cost of $300,000. The building that was to become Dinny was built from steel framework over which an expanded metal grid was formed in the shape of a dinosaur, all of it was then covered with coats of concrete. Bell was quoted in 1970 as saying the 45-foot high, 150-foot long Dinny was "the first dinosaur in history, so far as I know, to be used as a building". Bell worked on the project independently, no construction companies or contractors were involved in the construction. It is rumored that the task of painting Dinny was completed by a friend of Bell's in exchange for one dollar and a case of Dr. Pepper. A second dinosaur, Mr. Rex, was constructed near Dinny in 1981. A third woolly mammoth sculpture and a prehistoric garden were drafted, but never completed due to Bell's death in 1988. Other creations of Bell for Walter Knott were life size sculptures of a miner and his burro, they were scattered throughout Knott's. One of these sculptures today still stands in front of the Wheel Inn Restaurant in Cabazon and one still stands at Calico Ghost Town."
The Claude K. Bell miner and burro at the Wheel Inn
Knott's Berry Farm
Who's eating breakfast at the Wheel Inn?
There is a theme here. When we park at the Wheel Inn, we always make sure that we get the dinosaur in the picture. The teardrop and the 1959 Dalton look good with Mr. Rex. The Wheel Inn was only a year old when the trailer was built.
BTW: I recommend breakfast. No, not for the dinosaur but for the people who stop to eat.
Cabazon stuff
Amazon does not sell my favorite poster of the dinosaurs on the 10 freeway eating the cars that go by. Many children have already given that scenario some thought.
Still with the collection below, you can take a mini-vacation right where you are. Hang the poster over your desk and put on your "I heart Cabazon" tee shirt. Fill your mug and be sure to use the coaster. Grab your mouse and set it on the mouse-pad. Now, don't you feel like you're on vacation?
Still with the collection below, you can take a mini-vacation right where you are. Hang the poster over your desk and put on your "I heart Cabazon" tee shirt. Fill your mug and be sure to use the coaster. Grab your mouse and set it on the mouse-pad. Now, don't you feel like you're on vacation?
Watch out for the Dinosaurs
In the old days, once you passed Banning, heading east on Hwy 10, the dinosaurs seem to rise out of the desert. Children were often startled to see them. Now, if you can get by the The Cabazon Outlet Mall and the Desert Hills Premium Outlets, you're almost there. You'll pass Hadley's where you might want to stop for a date shake but you still can't see the dinosaurs. The Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa is the new sight. It's hard to miss. But don't despair, the dinosaurs are just past the Casino. Ignore the Denney's and eat at the Wheel Inn. It's more fun.
The Wheel Inn
December 31, 2011
We wanted something different for breakfast. The Wheel Inn is 30 minutes from us so we headed out to visit the dinosaurs and enjoy our breakfast surrounded by mountains.
What are you hungry for?
Gary's breakfast minus the toast and homemade strawberry jam
The dinosaurs are featured in movies and videos
It's not just Pee Wee Herman who has made the dinosaurs famous. People come from all over the world to see them. They are featured in music videos.
FYI - It is always windy in Cabazon. It's either windy or gale-force winds. There is no in-between. Just down the road, before Hwy 111 heads into Palm Springs, the wind farms began. Those are the big wind turbines that create electricity which also can be seen in the Brad Paisley video.
FYI - It is always windy in Cabazon. It's either windy or gale-force winds. There is no in-between. Just down the road, before Hwy 111 heads into Palm Springs, the wind farms began. Those are the big wind turbines that create electricity which also can be seen in the Brad Paisley video.
curated content from YouTube
Google Maps
More information on Claude K. Bell
- Mr Bell's Obituary - September 21, 1988
- ANAHEIM, Calif,, Sept. 20 - Claude K. Bell, whose dinosaur creations became a landmark to millions of travelers in the Southern California desert, died of pneumonia Monday at Humana Hospital in Anaheim. He was 91 years old, Mr. Bell and his dinosaur sculptures have been featured in the film ''Pee-Wee's Big Adventure'' and a book titled ''The Well-Built Elephant and Other Roadside Attractions - A Tribute to American Eccentricity.''
- More about the Dinosaurs
- "Dinny was started in 1964 and created over eleven years out of spare material from the construction of nearby Interstate 10 at a cost of $300,000. In the early '80s, he was joined by Mr. Rex, a 100-ton Tyrannosaurus. More than just sculptures, the dinosaurs are also functioning buildings."
- Los Angeles Times articles on the Wheel Inn and the dinosaurs
- More editorial comments on how the area has been "has been severely compromised.(by) Allowing the construction of a garish Burger King"
Have you been to the Wheel Inn?
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RandomChuck
Feb 13, 2012 @ 11:10 am | delete
- That is so cool. Haven't been to Wheel Inn, but there is a place 'round these parts named Dinosaur World. Can you guess what they have?
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Tipi
Jan 6, 2012 @ 4:03 pm | delete
- I think your life is one fun adventure after another...and you take us along for the ride!
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Joan4
Jan 5, 2012 @ 7:30 pm | delete
- The Wheel Inn sounds like a great place to eat! I love the dinosaurs!
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grannysage Jan 5, 2012 @ 6:39 pm | delete
- I love family traditions like this. The photos are awesome. I've never been there but I'm sure my husband would know about it. CCGAL's comment about working there is pretty cool.
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CruiseReady Jan 5, 2012 @ 4:50 pm | delete
- I have never heard of this place, but would certainly want to stop there if I was ever out that way!
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veryirie
Jan 5, 2012 @ 3:30 pm | delete
- No, I haven't had the opportunity, but I love the fact that your family has made a tradition of stopping there to see the Cabazon dinosaurs.
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scarlettohairy Jan 5, 2012 @ 11:31 am | delete
- I haven't been there but that breakfast looks delicious! Love the photo of the green trailer with the dinosaur!
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karmicchristian
Jan 5, 2012 @ 10:59 am | delete
- Never been there, but enjoyed my virtual tour to there!
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Hedremp
Jan 5, 2012 @ 9:23 am | delete
- Sounds very interesting - and a fun photo op!
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annmackiemiller Jan 5, 2012 @ 9:23 am | delete
- it really puts their size in perspective when you see them pictured with people doesn't it. great lens
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Editoral Comment
The area around the dinosaurs has grown. The land owner added a Denney's and a Burger King. The gas station next door is being remodeled and there is talk of a full truck stop and a hotel. Fortunately, they can't remove the mountains in the background.
The Wheel Inn has new owners and are updating the gift shop with more upscale merchandise. They have added a robotic dinosaur area and it looks interesting but we haven't had time to see it yet. There are even bigger plans in the works.
I have been eating at the Wheel Inn for 50 years and enjoy the "kitschy" setup and decorations. It has been a truck stop for many years and has a lived-in feel. The food has always been good.
I will reserve judgment and adopt a wait and see.
The Wheel Inn has new owners and are updating the gift shop with more upscale merchandise. They have added a robotic dinosaur area and it looks interesting but we haven't had time to see it yet. There are even bigger plans in the works.
I have been eating at the Wheel Inn for 50 years and enjoy the "kitschy" setup and decorations. It has been a truck stop for many years and has a lived-in feel. The food has always been good.
I will reserve judgment and adopt a wait and see.
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More about the Cabazon Dinosaurs
Buildings in Disguise: Architecture That Looks Like Animals, Food, and Other Things
Amazon Price: $15.00 (as of 05/30/2012)
The elephant was the starting point for Mr. Bell and his sculptures.
Pee Wee's Big Adventure
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (Widescreen)
Amazon Price: $3.99 (as of 05/30/2012)
Cabazon dinosaurs are featured in this movie.
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