The time I accidently went to a creationist museum
The Cabazon dinosaurs are a well known Southern California landmark.
On I10, south east of Palm Springs, you’ll see a T-Rex and a brontosaurus rising out of the desert. Claude Bell built the Wheelhouse Inn in 1958, and following through on a childhood wish he built the landmarks on the property.
The dinosaurs have been immortalized in films like Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure and The Wizard (also starting Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley). Growing up watching those movies, I begged and begged my dad to take me but we never drove on that freeway, so it never made sense. I couldn’t contain myself when I realized that we would be driving right by them while driving from Tucson to LA over Thanksgiving.
“Should we stop? We must! We Must!” We got closer, and I watched the mirage appear on the horizon. Is that them?! No, that’s a big rig. Is that them?! No, that’s an Arby’s. Is that them?! Yes, actually it is. We park, we get out, and I begin snapping pictures in pure glee until I see this sign.
Primordial soup? Yes please! Zoo? Sure! Is evolution true? Oh Christ I hope so… I closed my eyes and crossed my fingers and walked into the brontosaurus’ tail and up the steps, hoping against hope that it wasn’t that kind of museum.
Turns out, yes, it is that that kind of museum.
The recurring theme of this place now is that a lack of evidence is equal to disproving a theory.
Apologies for the shitty pictures, but I was being watched. My childhood dreams shattered. I was prepared to buy all of the merchandise they had, but I’m not in the market for shirts that say, “By design, not by choice.”
Apparently it was sold in the late 90’s to a group that believe in the ‘Young Earth’ “theory” that dinosaur were created the same day as Adam and Eve. From Wikipedia:
Following the sale of the property by Bell’s surviving family in the mid-1990s, Cabazon Family Partnership and MKA Cabazon Partnership of Costa Mesa, California became the new owners of the roadside attraction. The partnership obtained approval for a major expansion of the Cabazon dinosaur site in 1996 with the land-use approvals including restaurants, a museum, and gift shop, and a 60-room motel at the Main Street exit in Cabazon. Orange County developer and MKA partner Gary Kanter states the original vison has been for MKA to transform the area into a children’s science and museum exhibit.Currently located inside Dinny is a gift store and museum promoting creationism with some of the toy dinosaurs in the shop sold under the label “Don’t swallow it! The fossil record does not support evolution.” The current ownership has expressed a Young Earth creationist belief that most dinosaurs were created on Earth about 6,000 years ago - the same day as Adam and Eve. In stark contrast to that belief are Bell’s painted frescoes and sculptures inside Dinny, depicting a naturalist and evolutionary viewpoint. Bell’s paintings include representations of Cro-Magnon man (labeled “Cro-Magnon Man 30,000 [years ago]”) and Java Man (labeled “Java Man 400,000”). Bell’s historic displays now exist alongside information detailing the creationist viewpoint of the earth and man’s origins.
All in all, one of top 5 bummers of my adult life.
