The Story of Prehistoric Gardens

Prehistoric Gardens is the vision of the late E.V. “Ernie” Nelson  – artist, sculptor, entrepreneur, and dinosaur enthusiast. 

 

In 1953 after working as a CPA and owning a mill machinery supply business, Nelson packed up the family and headed south from Eugene, Oregon to find a location to build his Dinosaur Park.  He settled on a prehistoric rainforest on the Southern Oregon Coast and began the building process.  After three years of construction, one trip to the Smithsonian in NYC and endless research to ensure the life-size replicas were scientifically correct, Nelson opened his Prehistoric Gardens on January 1st 1955. He would go on to construct 23 dinosaurs in total over the next 30 years.

​

Today, the park still remains in the family 70 years later.  Our mission is to educate and inspire visitors of all ages about the prehistoric world, making learning an exciting adventure.

​​​

​

​

​