[2] Fossils found in the park include those from the early Cretaceous at least 135 to 110 million years ago, such as dinosaurs, such bird-like Nedcolbertia, armoured Gastonia, and long-necked Moabosaurus.

[3] Dalton Wells is also the site of a historic Civilian Conservation Corps camp that was later used as the Moab Isolation Center, an internment camp for Japanese Americans during World War II.

[1][4][5] In 1975, palaeontologist Jim Jensen from Brigham Young University dug at the site.

In 1993, Jim Kirkland, Robert Gaston, and Donald Burge used fossils from Dalton Wells and elsewhere to describe a new giant raptor, naming it Utahraptor.

[9] The law that established the park was sponsored by state representative Steve Eliason.