Jurustic Park

Jurustic Park
LocationMarshfield, Wisconsin, United States
TypeOutdoor sculpture garden / folk-art environment
FounderClyde Wynia
Websitewww.jurustic.com

Jurustic Park is an outdoor folk-art sculpture site located north of Marshfield, Wisconsin.[1] Established in the 1990s by Marshfield artist and retired attorney Clyde Wynia, the site features welded metal figures presented as creatures from a fictional “Iron Age” natural history of the nearby McMillan Marsh.[2][3] The attraction has received regular coverage from regional media outlets and tourism publishers.[4][5][6]

History

Wynia began fabricating metal creatures in the early 1990s and developed the property into a public sculpture site over subsequent years.[2][3] Local news reports in 2021 noted annual attendance figures in the tens of thousands and documented early discussions about creating a long-term municipal home for the collection when the founders retire.[2] In November 2021 the Marshfield Common Council approved the concept of relocating the sculpture garden to the city's Wildwood Park and Zoo, subject to subsequent planning and design work.[7] In 2023 the city's Jurustic Park Relocation Team issued a request for design services and discussed proposals for a sculpture garden at Wildwood Park.[8] City materials in 2025 continued to reference a potential relocation as a future project.[9]

Site and works

Jurustic Park occupies a wooded residential property a few miles north of Marshfield and contains dozens of welded sculptures, including dragons, birds, amphibians, and other animal forms.[1][6] The works are fabricated primarily from salvaged steel and other metals. Wynia presents the pieces through an in-universe narrative that attributes the “extinction” of iron creatures to industrial activity and corrosion.[10] The site also includes the Hobbit House, an on-site studio operated by artist Nancy Wynia that features glass beadwork, small sculpture, and fiber arts.[11]

Operations

The sculpture garden is generally open to the public on a seasonal basis. Admission is not charged for individual visitors; group and bus tours may be arranged by appointment.[11] Interpretive programming has included media features and televised segments profiling the park and its creators.[4][5]

Reception and coverage

Regional publications and travel media have profiled Jurustic Park as a distinctive roadside and folk-art attraction in central Wisconsin.[6][5][12] Public broadcasting outlets have featured the site in statewide arts coverage.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Jurustic Park". Visit Marshfield. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Langfellow, Tony (October 19, 2021). "Looking at the future of Jurustic Park". WSAW-TV. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Jurustic Park". Curb (University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism). November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Taking Shape (Wisconsin Life, Season 5 Episode 7)". PBS Wisconsin. November 16, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c "Art Roars to Life in Marshfield's Jurustic Park". Discover Wisconsin. June 12, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Jurustic Park — Marshfield, Wisconsin". Atlas Obscura. November 1, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "City approves next step for relocation of Jurustic Park". WSAW-TV. November 12, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "Jurustic Park Relocation Team Shares Update". OnFocus. April 18, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "Meeting Notice, Common Council (July 22, 2025)" (PDF). City of Marshfield. July 22, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  10. ^ "Jurustic Park — Creatures from the McMillan Marsh". Jurustic.com. Clyde Wynia. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Jurustic Park". Travel Wisconsin. Wisconsin Department of Tourism. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  12. ^ "Welcome to Jurustic Park, where scrap metal is transformed into dinosaurs". Roadtrippers Magazine. May 31, 2022. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
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