Rapid City, South Dakota: Dinosaur of Old Ike Murphy
Built by blacksmith Murphy in 1933 to lure travelers to a long-gone general store. 60 feet long, 20 feet tall. Originally painted pink and red. Restored in 1998. Possibly the world's oldest roadside dinosaur.
- Address:
- Hwy 44, Rapid City, SD
- Directions:
- From downtown Rapid City -- jct of US Hwy 16 and Hwy 44/Omaha St. -- drive east on Hwy 44 for 30.5 miles. You'll see the blue dinosaur on the north side of the highway. A small road leads to it.
Results 1 to 5 of 5...
Visitor Tips and News About Dinosaur of Old Ike Murphy
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
There's a random dinosaur out in the middle of nowhere. It's a pleasant distraction from miles of Badlands.
[Jennifer, 08/01/2020]Road is blocked off with a "private property - no trespassing" sign, so the dinosaur is barely visible. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see it at this point.
[Erin, 05/27/2019]Stopped to get a closer look. Part of his tail is falling off and there are some cracks, but he looks pretty good otherwise. There is an old bridge to nowhere next to him over a little river.
[C.R., 07/05/2015]
I was driving down Highway 44 when I saw a lonely dinosaur. There is a field entrance near him that I pulled into to take the photo. I didn't get extremely close, but he appeared to still be in good shape.
[Melinda Bryan, 07/02/2011]
I noticed this sole Brontosaurus about eight years ago, run-down and looking his age (built during the Depression, probably by the same folks who erected Dinosaur Park in Rapid City). He had crumbling holes showing his re-bar skeleton, and was covered in graffiti. This summer I went by him again and was pleased to find he's been restored, complete with bicycle reflectors for eyes and mouth (there's even a plaque commemorating the makeover). I'm still not sure why he's there in the first place.
[luther rochester, 10/18/2004]Nearby Offbeat Places



Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.
Local landmark was attempt by owners of tiny Creston, to get travelers to pull off (Perhaps to see if there were more dinosaurs? There weren't).