Claude Bell, sculptor and artist at Knott's Berry Farm, 1947–1986. He was born in New Jersey in 1896 and, as a child, was sent to the beach by a doctor at the age of 11 to recuperate from a recent surgery. He passed the time sculpting Teddy Roosevelt teddy bears in the sand to the appreciation of passerby. His talent paid off in tips, and his sand sculptures grew more grand as he took his skills to Atlantic City and then traveled the country with state and county fairs before settling in California. Walter Knott requested a bench statue from Bell, but something more permanent, cement instead of sand. What Walter received in 1947 were the statues of Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill, who have sat for millions of portraits with guests from around the world.
Bell wasn't only a sculptor. Bell's portrait studio at Ghost Town operated from 1951 to 1986, where he sketched guests in many mediums. Even Walter and Cordelia Knott were painted by Bell, and their portraits can still be viewed in the lobby of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The portrait studio building stands today as the Rock and Geode Shop with an interior fireplace, mantle, and relief of Mark Twain, all sculpted by Bell himself.
So what's the connection to the dinosaurs of Cabazon, you may ask? Upon his retirement from Knott's in 1986, Bell retreated to a parcel of land in Cabazon, California, where he had begun sculpting a massive Brontosaurus in 1964. His work continued on a matching Tyrannosaurus Rex until his passing in 1988.
Bell wasn't only a sculptor. Bell's portrait studio at Ghost Town operated from 1951 to 1986, where he sketched guests in many mediums. Even Walter and Cordelia Knott were painted by Bell, and their portraits can still be viewed in the lobby of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The portrait studio building stands today as the Rock and Geode Shop with an interior fireplace, mantle, and relief of Mark Twain, all sculpted by Bell himself.
So what's the connection to the dinosaurs of Cabazon, you may ask? Upon his retirement from Knott's in 1986, Bell retreated to a parcel of land in Cabazon, California, where he had begun sculpting a massive Brontosaurus in 1964. His work continued on a matching Tyrannosaurus Rex until his passing in 1988.
Claude Bell, sculptor and artist at Knott's Berry Farm, 1947–1986. He was born in New Jersey in 1896 and, as a child, was sent to the beach by a doctor at the age of 11 to recuperate from a recent surgery. He passed the time sculpting Teddy Roosevelt teddy bears in the sand to the appreciation of passerby. His talent paid off in tips, and his sand sculptures grew more grand as he took his skills to Atlantic City and then traveled the country with state and county fairs before settling in California. Walter Knott requested a bench statue from Bell, but something more permanent, cement instead of sand. What Walter received in 1947 were the statues of Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill, who have sat for millions of portraits with guests from around the world.
Bell wasn't only a sculptor. Bell's portrait studio at Ghost Town operated from 1951 to 1986, where he sketched guests in many mediums. Even Walter and Cordelia Knott were painted by Bell, and their portraits can still be viewed in the lobby of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The portrait studio building stands today as the Rock and Geode Shop with an interior fireplace, mantle, and relief of Mark Twain, all sculpted by Bell himself.
So what's the connection to the dinosaurs of Cabazon, you may ask? Upon his retirement from Knott's in 1986, Bell retreated to a parcel of land in Cabazon, California, where he had begun sculpting a massive Brontosaurus in 1964. His work continued on a matching Tyrannosaurus Rex until his passing in 1988.
Bell wasn't only a sculptor. Bell's portrait studio at Ghost Town operated from 1951 to 1986, where he sketched guests in many mediums. Even Walter and Cordelia Knott were painted by Bell, and their portraits can still be viewed in the lobby of the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The portrait studio building stands today as the Rock and Geode Shop with an interior fireplace, mantle, and relief of Mark Twain, all sculpted by Bell himself.
So what's the connection to the dinosaurs of Cabazon, you may ask? Upon his retirement from Knott's in 1986, Bell retreated to a parcel of land in Cabazon, California, where he had begun sculpting a massive Brontosaurus in 1964. His work continued on a matching Tyrannosaurus Rex until his passing in 1988.
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