They're all gone. Every last one of them. The St. Paul based Minnesota Science Museum Diggin' Dinos have become extinct. They're only a memory or a photo now. They paraded down St. Paul's Kellogg Avenue one last week starting September 4 and then 36 went on the auction block on September 9. My guess is there will still be sightings in the future because those Dinos were purchased for some reason!
(Click on the pictures to get an enlarged view.)
Especially Dino X Rayasaurus sponsored by Consulting Radiologists, Ltd., which sold for $3,300.00! He was hard to find if you were looking in St. Paul because he resided at Mill Ruins Park near St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis! Sneaky dinosaur to pick such an out of the way place. But, how apropos to appear near Minneapolis architectural relics!
Second highest bid of $1,550.00 went for Capital Cityasaurus sponsored by The Travelers company. Capital Cityasaurus spent its summer nestled in an alcove by The Travelers building at 385 Washington St. in downtown St. Paul.
Star ranked third in the bidding order at $1,100.00. Star spent her summers languishing under the trees at Rice Park. Lockheed Martin was her sponsor.
Some of the Dinos became extinct before their time. Alphabetasaurus sponsored by the Children's Hospitals and Clinics was placed in Stewart Park in Minneapolis. The children from the adjacent school thoroughly loved her. One evening she was broken by mean kids and was carted away in the next garbage truck.
TwinCitiesasaurus sponsored by Exeter Realty at 917 Grand Ave. disappeared early as well. The story of her demise is unknown.
Healthy Eyeasaurus by Associated Eyecare also met an early extinction. The security guard had no idea what happened. "She was here one day and gone the next!" Maybe she was stolen and will be offered for ransom?
Another sad tale is of St. Paul Portasaurus sponsored by the St. Paul Port Authority and located at Lambert's Landing just east of where Jackson Street meets the Mississippi. The tale of the Dino's tail is unknown. One can only conjecture!
The final mystery is what happened to Dylan who was sponsored by McNally Smith. Dylan on the left was discovered early in the summer right on the corner of the old science museum. Dylan on the right was discovered late in the summer. They're both Dylans and they were both on the same corner and both created by Dan Wheeler, but they sure don't look alike to me! Did Dylan the first get stolen or destroyed and replaced with Dylan the second? Or did Dylan the first get a new paint job at midsummer and start using electronic head gear as well? Maybe someone can answer the mystery for me!
If you're a regular reader of Snippets, you're going to remain chained to Dinos on Saturday for awhile. It's not that the dinosaurs were so interesting, although they were, but what I enjoyed most was using them as a tool to discover St. Paul and a bit of Minneapolis. What Capital City Partnership had intended worked for me. My tour in an attempt to "find" all the dinosaur locations (which I started without aid of the website map) was a pleasant and expanding experience. Who would have thought a dinosaur hunt would teach me about St. Paul?!
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