Visiting the Former Site of Dinosaur Land in Alpine, CA
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- čas přidán 18. 02. 2020
- Dinosaur Land was a theme park located on Highway 80 in Alpine, CA. The park opened on August 5, 1962 and was only open a for a few years. By the mid-1960s the park closed down and eventually became a mobile home park. Today there are a few remnants of Dinosaur Land still standing, including one lone dinosaur.
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When I was a little boy in the early 1960s, we used to drive up to the mountains on Olde 8 , now Alpine Boulevard. We may have visited dinosaur land once. I remember when we drove by we could see all the dinosaurs - around 8 of them sticking way up. Paul ( born in San Diego in 1953)
Really cool. Would have loved to see them when they were all there.
I remember going there when I was about 9 with my older sister and younger brother. The trees were more filled in and the dinosaurs were placed among them. I don’t remember much to do except walk around and look at the various dinosaurs but we were excited about it at the time. After reading another person’s comments I remembered we drove around the park. I had thought that at first but thought I was wrong. I was 9 then and my brother was 6.
I definitely visited and it was big part of my childhood in the early 60's growing up in San Diego. People told me I was crazy for years and that was no Dinosaur park in San Diego. But, through research I did find the sight again myself in 2015. Thank you so much for this. I would love to see that brochure close up WOW what a artifact!
Really cool. Would have loved to see it in its heyday.
I grew up in Alpine in the 70's and would walk by there every day on my way to school.. I lived out where Fred's burgers is currently. They actually tore down our old turquoise colored house to build that shopping area around 1976. we then lived on the hill behind the Alpine Inn. Thank you for this video. it brings back great memories.
I remember growing up in alpine as a kid in the 80’a there were more dinosaurs still standing closer to old highway 80. One appeared to be a sauropod. If I remember right I think there were also remnants of a train of some kind. I might be wrong. My dad said he did visit the park as a teen when it was open.
I remember going there with my Dad several times, in 62 I would have been 7 , there was also a trout farm/pool that you could fish .. and after it closed, for the longest time you could see the dinosaurs alongside the road .. thank you for the visit
Back when gas was cheap, Our Dad would take us on drives in SD in the 60’s. Dinosaur Land was a wonderful place for the imagination of my 5 year old little self. It was a great place to stop and visit. I was so sad to see it just vanish. Thank you for taking me back in time.
I was 5 in 1963 when my parents and I visited the park it was a drive thru style park with a road that wound around thru the park and spit you back out toward the snack bar ..they had ice cream ! Great child hood memories I've stopped there throughout my life in San Diego several times just to check on my old friends ...
I grew up in the Alpine area...this place sadly went out of business the year I was a born August of 1965, however I do remember it really well. My parents would drive past it all the time and I was always fascinated as a kid trying to get a glimpse through the car windows of the Dinosaurs through the lush and thick shrubbery surrounding the park at the time. Many of the Dinosaurs were still around up through the early to mid 70’s...
Thank you for touching my heart strings! Still remember the “taxi cab orange” colored car I rode in on one of the rides! One of the most pleasant memories of going to Grandmas house in Alpine as a young child! ❤
In Mission Valley there was a shopping center that had a big dinosaur outside in an even bigger sandbox that I climbed on as kid in the early sixties.
That's Mission Valley. I remember the dinosaur as a kid too.
I don’t remember going to this attraction but I sure do remember Marshal Scotty’s Playland Park from back in the day right off the 8 at Lake Jennings on Ridge Hill Rd. That was a lot of fun for us kids from the big city of San Diego in the late 50s early 60s when it was in full swing. Those truly were the good ol’ days when we were kids
My grandparents owned the Mobile Home park and I grew up playing there. Have always wanted to see pictures of people enjoying Dinosaur Land. Please post some if you have any.
Unfortunately I don't have any but the Alpine Historical Society may. You can check out their website at alpinehistory.org/.
We used to pass by there. My Mom made my Dad go ask for admission price and he came back to the car shaking his head. We drove by there a lot and I saw it disappear. I remember a Diplodocus, in water, and a Trex standing next to it. The Diplodocus head eventually fell off.
I remember stopping there on the way to El Centro to see Grandma and Grandpa! Still think about the dinosaurs when I pass by to this day!
Really cool. Would have loved to have seen it when it was open.
I remember this place. The also had a pool with stocked trout one could catch.
Cool! I'll be in Alpine, CA this weekend. Might have to look it up! Thanks for posting.
Never heard of the park. Thanks for informing us, San Diego Steve!
I stopped by here, the dinosaur is really big! About a 1 minute drive from my condo here in alpine. Its behind a trailer park sort of. Funny how some people see it from their backyard Id be trippin if I saw that at night!
Not sure if this has been said in the comments, but the obvious comment is that this park was about 30 years ahead of its time. Interesting stuff!
That was great! We moved up to Alpine in 62...I was 12 at the time. What a fantastic place it was to grow up. Only went to the Park one time. Gotta Say, I think it is the ONLY Park Alpine has ever had!!! Here is this fantastic community and there has NEVER been a Park where you could go Picnic! Still not one to this day. Got plenty of Darn Stop Lights now though!!! Not a fan of how much Alpine has grown. Still my favorite Home Town!
in the 90s there still was a bunch of the dinosaurs still there. I'm glad to see they kept the wall and gate. As a kid, I thought there was a witch's house hidden there cuz of that wall n gate. 😂 Cool to see they didn't tear it down and jam some apartments in the spot, like they did with most of Alpine.
Surfing thur your video's, this place must of been a Happy Place at one time, Cool video.
THE SARGE
Was it ever called Peacock Ranch? In the 50's?
Yes, it was Peacock Ranch before it was Dinosaur Land.
@@SidetrackAdventures we still have peacocks wandering Marshall st.
Crazy! This is my area and I love dinos but I had never heard of this. Granted it was closed before I was born, but I do remember Marshall Scotty's in the 80s.
So cool! I never knew this existed. We first traveled from Mexicali to El Centro to San Diego in 1967 when I was 4 years old-but this place was gone by then
It was closed yes, but the Dinosaurs were not mostly gone till the mid 70’s or so as I recall. I was a kid that grew up in Alpine in the 70’s there was thick and heavy shrubbery surrounding the park so you may have just not seen them.
@@princessunicorn669 thank you! I’m glad you had the opportunity to see this place. Since I live in El Centro, I frequent Alpine-I’m going to have to see what’s left of this place next time I’m in town .
My family moved to Alpine in 1968-the same year they finished Hwy 8 and I grew up there. My brothers, friends and I used to sneak in to the park. It was a great place to explore. I wished it could have been preserved - or that the owners would have donated the land to the town for community use.
Fascinating!
I had forgotten about this. I think we only went out there once.
Super cool to know the history of somewhere I drive by everyday
i lived next to this for decades and didnt even know it was there...that area was overgrown af for decades when i was growing up in the late 80s and 90s in Alpine...only in the last 15-20 years did they fix it up
I remember going there just after it first opened. We took a family picnic lunch and enjoyed the park.
I live a few blocks from there
Cool video; thanks for posting.
Thanks for watching!
beautiful work!
( check out "Glarf" in Bonita used to be on the main drag thru town) i think it was made by an Alpine artist... seems i remember)
So cool, I never knew of this and was born in and still live in San Diego.
My grandfather was one of the original investors in Dino Land. From what little my family told me before he passed his partner made some bad choices and was less than forthright, then declared bankruptcy so the park had to close. Dino Land was supposed to be so much more, the next Disneyland, but bad business partners can sink a ship. Too bad Grandpa skipped on investing in Sea World for Dino World.
Are you sure that's the last remaining dinosaur? I drove through a few years ago and saw multiple dinos. When I have time I'll cruise through and send pics.
I work across the street and go there to eat lunch in the summer.
There's also a Dinosaur Land in Virginia, almost the same age. It's still in operation all these years later. Obviously, the dinosaurs' stances and designs have never been updated, though the color schemes change from time to time. I honestly don't know how it continues to operate, because it seems like no one's ever there, but I've never been myself (not even on a school trip!) and don't pass by on even an infrequent basis, so perhaps I'm just a touch ignorant about it. Certainly, it's a local landmark, and should it ever shut down I will absolutely miss seeing all that wonderful outdated nonsense at that particular intersection.
I wish I had gone to there. I want to go to there someday.
And the theme of the park is as about as real as Disney Land!
So someone lives in this dinosaur park? How lucky are they? 😂
Creek? There's more water running down a street in Oregon when someone washes their car in their driveway. Oh, the days of water waste will come to a close soon and that creek will be grabbed up.
4 years in the past again Professor…
With the opularity of dionsaurs if it opened now, it would be well visited I'm sure.
I never got to go there, but back in the 70's I went to a Dinosaur Park where you cross from California into Oregon. It was awesome don't know if it's still there 💕
I'm not sure. I know of Prehistoric Gardens, which is up the Oregon Coast a little bit, but I'm not sure about anything closer to the border.
@@SidetrackAdventures You go through Weed California up that hwy and then into Oregon and head West towards the ocean. You will go through Portland Oregon.
this opened the day after I turned 10
Do we know why the park failed? Kids love dinosaurs.
It didn't fail because of the idea, it failed because one of the business partners was kind of shady and made bad choices and lost the investment. At least that is what my family told me. My grandfather was one of the original investors in the park and chose to invest here rather than Seaworld, his partner was less than careful and ultimately had to declare bankruptcy. Luckily my family recovered from the loss, but its a sad story of what could have been.
@@Filmgirlphilosopher That's a shame. Thanks for the reply.
I worked with many dinosaurs over the years. They’re now collecting social security and complain constantly about aches & pains. I pass through Alpine regularly and have never seen a dinosaur.
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