Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
12 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
14 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
18 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States South Dakota Creston Dinosaur
AO Edited

Creston Dinosaur

A relic of roadside lore and perhaps the first of its kind in North America.

Creston, South Dakota

Added By
Sydney Rose
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Creston Dinosaur   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Creston Dinosaur   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Creston Dinosaur   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Creston Dinosaur   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
the Creston Dinosaur in the distance, as seen from Highway 44 on a beautiful day in May 2024   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Thirty miles southeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, in a large field bordering State Highway 44, stands what must be the world's loneliest dinosaur. Empty fields surround the enormous concrete Brontosaurus (or, more aptly, Apatosaurus). It's kept company by nothing more than a few nearby cows, rattlesnakes, and the occasional motor vehicle traveling the highway.

The Creston Dinosaur has seen better days. Braces hold up its neck and abdomen, and a large vertical crack is visible near its shoulders. Its green paint is worn and faded, and scrubby weeds grow almost to its knees. Created to attract tourists, it is now a sad, aging landmark on a lightly traveled highway. Constructed in 1933, the Creston Dinosaur is believed to be the first roadside dinosaur attraction in North America. It is even speculated that sculptor Emmett Sullivan got the idea for his famous Rapid City Dinosaur Park from this solitary creation.

Creston was a tiny train stop on the Milwaukee Railroad. The owners of the Creston General Store thought that a "life-size" dinosaur might entice rail and highway travelers to their establishment. The sauropod was designed and built by Creston resident and handyman Old Ike Murphy. Composed of concrete over an armature of wood and scrap metal, including railroad ties, the dinosaur measures an impressive 60 feet long and 20 feet tall.

Eventually, progress bypassed Creston with the creation of U.S. Interstate 90. By 1980, it had become a ghost town; its landmark dinosaur was in a state of serious disrepair. The statue's concrete was cracked and crumbling, its tail broken, and graffiti defaced its body. In 1998, a group of civil engineering students from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology came to the Dinosaur's rescue. Over several months, the students performed a complete structural and cosmetic renovation, including rebuilding the statue's neck and backbone, reinforcing its legs, replacing its foundation, and applying new 1-inch-thick concrete skin to its body.

Their hundreds of hours of volunteer work culminated with the application of fresh coats of green and white paint. A small plaque left at the site dedicates the Dinosaur's restoration to "the memory of Creston, South Dakota."

Time and weather are again showing effects on the Creston Dinosaur. Yet, it continues to hold a silent vigil over its empty field. Although the area is fenced, there is a small pull-off from where the dinosaur can be viewed and photographed.

Related Tags

Statues Roadside Attractions Dinosaurs

Know Before You Go

30.5 miles east of Rapid City on State Highway 44. The dinosaur's field is on the north side of the highway between Rapid City and Scenic.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sydney Rose

Edited By

Kevin OKeeffe

  • Kevin OKeeffe

Published

August 2, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Creston Dinosaur
SD-44
Creston, South Dakota, 57725
United States
43.912023, -102.695721
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Wall Drug

Wall, South Dakota

miles away

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Monument

Rapid City, South Dakota

miles away

Delta-09 Minuteman Missile Site

Wall, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

Nearby Places

Wall Drug

Wall, South Dakota

miles away

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Monument

Rapid City, South Dakota

miles away

Delta-09 Minuteman Missile Site

Wall, South Dakota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of South Dakota

South Dakota

United States

Places 59
Stories 7

Related Stories and Lists

Our Favorite Roadside Attraction in Every U.S. State

List

By Hal Koss

8 Podcast Episodes About Odd and Amazing Public Art

outsider art

By April White

Creston Dinosaur

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • Cabazon’s T-rex dressed up for Valentine’s Day

    Cabazon, California

    Cabazon Dinosaurs

    The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

  • Hamer, South Carolina

    South of the Border

    I-95's Tijuana-style celebration of kitsch at the Carolina border.

  • Drumheller, Alberta

    The World's Largest Dinosaur

    As if T-rex wasn't big enough, this Canadian monument is four times larger than the real thing.

  • Wall, South Dakota

    Wall Drug

    The granddaddy of all tourist traps, built on ice water, jackalopes, and a giant dinosaur.

  • Vernal, Utah

    Dinah the Pink Dinosaur

    Built for a motel, this cartoon dino is now a symbol of the area's paleontological heritage.

  • Danbury, Connecticut

    World’s Tallest Uncle Sam Statue

    Star-spangled and 38 feet tall.

  • This giant fiberglass catfish welcomes visitors to Trempealeau, Wisconsin.

    Trempealeau, Wisconsin

    Trempealeau Catfish Statue

    A giant fiberglass catfish welcomes visitors to this Wisconsin river town and heralds its annual Catfish Days festival.

  • Gummy bear statue

    Boadilla del Monte, Spain

    El Oso Verde (The Green Bear)

    This larger-than-life lime green gummy bear sits in the middle of a roundabout in Spain.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.