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History · Dinosaur

Dinosaur was first counted by the census in 1950

Most of Dinosaur was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1950.

1950first census
0on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Dinosaur’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Dinosaur began

When was Dinosaur founded?

1950

Dinosaur first appears in the census in 1950.

First census: 281 in 19502020 census: 24376 years
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓

What stands out about Dinosaur’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 339 in 2010; 243 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Dinosaur’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dinosaur’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDino sign, grocery laundromat: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Dinosaur, census by census

01002003001960198020002020Peak: 339

Peaked at 339 in 2010; 243 people lived here in 2020.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Dinosaur’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Dinosaur came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dinosaur.

Read it all →

The town of Dinosaur was originally known as "Baxter Springs", owned by Art and Fanny Baxter. It was renamed "Artesia" for its valued water supply when a town was platted to accommodate the oil boom in the 1940s. The Artesia, Colorado, post office opened on March 20, 1946, and the Town of Artesia was incorporated on December 18, 1947. On January 1, 1966, the town's name was changed to Dinosaur due to its proximity to Dinosaur National Monument. The headquarters of Dinosaur National Monument is located just east of the town on U.S. Highway 40.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Dinosaur, 1907 to 2010

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1907On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1966Post officeThe Dinosaur post office opens
  4. 1991In the archiveDino sign, grocery laundromat
  5. 21st century
  6. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 339
By decade

Dinosaur, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s3 items
Dino sign, grocery laundromat1991Dino sign, grocery laundromatDinosaur Garage sign1991Dinosaur Garage signWiley's Resort Motel1991Wiley's Resort Motel
Today9 recent
UT Dinosaur 248914 1968 24000 geo (TIF)2018UT Dinosaur 248914 1968 24000 geo (TIF)West at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 172017West at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 17South at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 172017South at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 17North at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 172017North at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 17Fire hydrant in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 172017Fire hydrant in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 17East at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 172017East at US 40 & SH 64 in Dinosaur, Colorado, Sep 17Dinosaur city limit sign2017Dinosaur city limit signDeseret Power Railroad2016Deseret Power RailroadColorado, April 20082008Colorado, April 2008
On the map

Dinosaur on the map, 1907 to 1910

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dinosaur. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Dinosaur on the 1907 USGS mapDinosaur on the 1910 USGS map1907Jensen sheet · 1:125,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dinosaur.

Famous people

Famous people close to Dinosaur

Nobody well known was born in Dinosaur itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
James WoodsAmerican actor · b. 1947
P
Paul FoersterSailor · b. 1963
Clair BurgenerAmerican politician · b. 1921
E
Earl W. BascomAmerican artist · b. 1906
R
Rod DanaAmerican actor · b. 1934
Ryan JensenAmerican football player · b. 1991

Questions about Dinosaur’s history

What year was Dinosaur founded?

The Dinosaur post office opened in 1950, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.