The construction of Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, SD
As people began flocking to the Black Hills to see the nearly completed Mount Rushmore, Rapid City built a tourist attraction of their own to try and capitalize on the influx of tourists.
Dinosaur Park statue construction, 1930s. The sculptures were designed by Emmet Sullivan and the park was dedicated on May 22, 1936.
Courtesy of the Rapid City Journal
With the help of the Works Project Administration, a Great Depression-era New Deal agency, the project was completed in May 1936.
Dinosaur Park statue construction, 1930s. The sculptures were designed by Emmet Sullivan and the park was dedicated on May 22, 1936.
Courtesy of the Rapid City Journal
The dinosaur sculptures were designed by Emmet Sullivan, a Montana-born sculptor who was among the many to work on Mount Rushmore.
Frances M. Wise, center, and her daughters, from left, Cathy, Jani, Nancy, and Mary at Dinosaur Park, Rapid City, 1951.
Courtesy of Jan Gustin
These and hundreds of other classic Black Hills and Badlands images from the 1800s all the way up through the 1960s can be found in the Rapid City Journal's new book!
$44.95