For this week’s #TBT we want to make your heart SAUR with a little nostalgia, and suggest a place to visit this upcoming family day long weekend. We all know and love Dinny the Dinosaur, the concreate Brontosaurus 🦕 who has stood watch @calgaryzoo since 1937.
Constructed of hand formed concrete placed on a steel and wire mesh armature, Dinny is 12 metres tall and 36 metres long. Did you know that even though he’s hollow inside he weighs in at 110 tonnes?
Dinny is the only remaining occupant from the original Natural History Park – Prehistoric World at the Calgary Zoo. It was the first of its type in North America, and opened in 1937 with 56 sculptures.
The original prehistoric park was dismantled in 1983 with all dinosaurs, except Dinny, being destroyed. An updated prehistoric park with new dinosaurs and creatures opened at the north end of the zoo in 1984, having been updated and enhanced over the past several years.
Dinny was the symbol of Calgary, once considered the most photographed object in Canada according to Kodak. That was until 1968 when the towering brontosaurus was superseded by the Husky Tower (@TheCalgaryTower) as the most iconic Calgary landmark.
Before you head out this weekend to visit this gentle giant, visit calgary.ca/content/www/en… to learn more about how Dinny has been capturing hearts for 85 years!
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