Dinosaur Caves Park - Pismo Beach, CA - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

"For more than ten thousand years the Chumash occupied this area, and undoubtedly enjoyed this stop. During the california Mission Period (1772-1834)this land belonged to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. After mission property was secularized this area became part of the 8800 acre Rancho Pismo granted to Jose Ortega in 1840. Some of the Pismo Rancho was later acquired by Englishman John Price, whose restored original home can be visited in Price Canyon. Price subdivided the area in 1886. In the early 1900s this site became home to the Pacific Museum. The main underground cave was developed into a unique geological attraction promoted as the caves of mystery.

H douglas brown built a lapidary shop near this spot in the 1940's. A cable footbridge give access to what became known as Brown's Rock at the western edge of the property.As another attraction, Brown began constructing a large concrete dinosaur. Entry into the caverns was a doorway in the dinosaurs belly, then down a tunnel path studded with fake gemstones for atmosphere.neighbors objected to the dinosaurs, so Brown stopped construction, leaving the creature headless until a fire in 1960s put the end to both the dinosaur and the lapidary business.

The main cave collapsed in the early 1970s but the creature and the caves remain in the memory of residents and visitors alike.

Hotels and other ventures were proposed for the site in the 1980s, but none came to fruition. The city of Pismo Beach bought the property in 1992 for 16000000.
After extensive public discussion, a large citien task force recommended developing the area for the use of all. Through the cooperative efforts of the city of Pismo Beach, the state of Califonria and the Dinosaur Caves Preservation Society, this park was opened in June 2003.

Group that erected the marker: Dinosaur Caves Preservation Society URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Cliff Ave Pismo Beach, CA USA

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Date Logged Log   07/16/2021 zdonb visited it