THE GIANT DINOSAURS OF SPRING HILL, FLORIDA
There are two giant dinosaurs in the area of Spring Hill in Florida. The largest is located at 5299 Commercial Way in Spring Hill, Florida. Commercial Way is name of the portion of the highway commonly known as US 19. The larger dinosaur is located a few miles from Weeki Wachee, Florida, commonly known as the City of Mermaids.
This giant dinosaur sits atop Harold’s Auto Center in Spring Hill.
According to numerous websites, Harold’s dinosaur was originally a Sinclair Gas Station, and its design by inspired by Sinclair’s dinosaur mascot. Sinclair began using the dinosaur as its mascot in 1930. One website seems to suggest that the dinosaur itself was built in 1964.
The dinosaur as a mascot for an oil company is based upon the premise that oil comes from fossils of long dead dinosaurs, other animals and plant life. From hence, comes the name Fossil Fuels.
From where oil comes is a political, economic, and scientific topic which is beyond the scope of this article.
Harold’s Auto Center is at the time of this writing, a fully functional repair center for automobiles. The Company Website states that Harold’s Auto has been family owned and operated since 1977. If you want service to your vehicle at Harold’s, you may contact the repair center at 352-596-7755.
A few miles South of Harold’s Dinosaur is a second, pink dinosaur, known as “Dino”. Apparently, according to a number of websites, it is a representation of an Apatosaurus, and is 47 feet tall and 110 feet long.
According to Wikipedia, the Apatosaurus were commonly around 75 feet long, and sometimes ranged as much as 11% to 30% bigger. Therefore, the pink dinosaur known as Dino, would be roughly half the size of its fully grown brethren, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia goes further in its claim that this type of dinosaur was commonly found in the regions now known as Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah.
Both Harold’s Dinosaur and Dino are located on the East Side of the Highway, known as Commercial Way or US 19.
