Jurustic Park

Jurustic Park is an outdoor sculpture museum near Marshfield in central Wisconsin. It was my good fortune to visit there with my partner on a gorgeous mid-October afternoon. I was captivated by the scores of fantastic metal sculptures of birds and animals, fish, insects, dragons, humanoid figures, cats and dogs, hobbits, flowers and plants, musicians and bands, and creepy monsters of all sorts.

The sculptures at Jurustic Park were created by Clyde Wynia, Paleontologist. We had the pleasure of meeting Clyde, 88, during our visit. He’s still in good health and spirits at the ripe old age of 88. Dressed in work clothes, he gave is a tour of the park, pointing out and demonstrating some of his favorite creations. Some sculptures were articulated and others rang like gongs when he hit them with a huge homemade hammer.

The Jurastic Park website tells the story of this incredible collection of metal sculptures:

This site documents the efforts of amateur paleontologist Clyde Wynia to excavate and recreate as best as possible the now extinct creatures that inhabited the large McMillan Marsh near Marshfield, Wisconsin during the Iron Age. The flesh and bones of all the marsh creatures were ferrous metal, usually mild steel, but occasionally stainless, high carbon or various types of more exotic alloys. Many of the iron species died out when farming and industry moved into the area in the mid 19th century. The creatures were often harvested for their parts that were then used in farm and industrial machinery. Over-harvesting eventually led to extinction of many species. Other species became extinct when acid rain caused them to rust over. Good rust inhibitors, which could have slowed the oxidation, were not readily available to these creatures to save them from the corrosive effects of increasing industrial pollution. To learn more about these ancient creatures and to see some of the replicas that Clyde has created come on in and look around. (©)

The Jurustic Park website also features a video of Clyde demonstrating his Articulated Dragon.

Clydes’s wife Nancy, a retired nurse and accomplished artist in her own right, operates a showroom and store inside a Hobbit House where she displays and markets her own artwork and jewelry creations. The Visit Marshfield Area Made New website explains:

In addition to the metal sculptures, Clyde’s wife Nancy has a studio/shop, the Hobbit House, exhibiting her hand-blown hot glass (beads, flowers, sculpture), fiber (processing natural fibers-knitting, spinning) and life-size soft sculpture works. Visitors will find jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, pins and hairpieces made from handmade glass beads. (©)

The visual appeal of this conglomeration of rusted and weathered creations fascinated me as a photographer. I took way too many photos, which I’m proud to share with you below. The photos depict not only finished sculptures and artwork, but also offer a behind-the-scenes look at accumulations of raw materials in back lot work areas.