Dinosaur, Colorado

A Brief History of Dinosaur

Dinosaur’s changing names record shifts in the economy of northwestern Colorado. Municipal records describe the settlement’s earlier names as Baxter Springs and Artesia, with the latter associated with the oil boom of the 1940s. In 1966, the community adopted Dinosaur to emphasize its proximity to Dinosaur National Monument. The change connected the town’s identity to the fossil-rich landscape and growing visitor traffic. Today its role as a gateway community continues that historical connection, while the town and the national monument remain distinct places.