Jurustic Park is one of those places that probably never appeared on your radar, but if you are near Marshfield, WI, all I can say is MAKE IT A POINT TO GO!!!
Clyde and Nancy Wynia live on Sugarbush Lane, not far from McMillan Marsh. The very marsh where Clyde found the remains of “Iron Age” critters of all sizes. According to the brochure:
“Jursutic Park is a display of many of the extinct creatures the inhabited the large McMillan Marsh near Marshfield during the Iron Age.
After amateur paleontologist Clyde Wynia discovered corroded remains of these creatures, he began excavating. As the rusted components of these critter were matched as closely as possible with the original creatures, they were welded back together to their original forms.”
As we crossed the bridge from the parking lot to the property, I stopped to read the signs. I knew immediately this wouldn’t be an ordinary adventure…
Shortly after we arrived, a man walked over to us and started to explain what we were seeing. His deadpan delivery and sometimes slightly off-color humor had me in stitches. This was Clyde…
His love affair with sculpted metal began after a trip to Seattle where he saw a bell made from an oxygen tank. His first creation ended up looking like a bird and still hangs in front of their home…
When a neighbor walked by and asked, “Where did you ever get that?” Clyde’s answer was he dug it up out of the marsh and welded it back together. And Jurustic Park was born. Soon he was creating all sorts of extinct critters…
Not all of his creations are marsh finds, for example, meet Abe Lawbender…
Perhaps this is poking fun at his former profession.
There is even a perfect explanation of a Dork…
Clyde loves his role as tour guide! Several of his pieces are articulated and he demonstrates their movements…
There are quite a few dogs around the property, including one who is “Not Fond of Cats”
And cats who just wanna dance…
And lots of frogs…
And he has no qualms about poking fun at politics and other professions…
At his shop, several pieces were “in progress”…
Near the end of our tour, Clyde brought us into the Hobbit House where he introduced us to his wife Nancy.
Nancy is also an artist. She makes exquisite glass and fiber art. I was completely remiss in not taking any pictures of her work, but you can see it here.
Clyde and Nancy were getting ready to celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary and when I asked him what their secret was he replied, “We don’t let the old in.” They are both in their mid 80’s and have done a damn fine job of not letting the old in.
After several amusing hours we wandered back to the Jeep, but not before I stopped and took pictures of Clyde’s artful sculptures of him and Nancy…
The Wandering RVer 
That is amazing. Those sculptures are legit awesome, and 62 years of marriage is incredible. Thanks for sharing this special place.
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Thanks Jeff. Admittedly, Clyde’s humor might not be for everyone, but we loved it. I’m so glad we found Jurustic Park!
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I wanna go! I love his art pieces. They’re so well done, original, and his take on the explanations are hilarious. He’s definitely made discarded ‘trash’ into beautiful treasure. You guys find the coolest places.
I love how he said they “keep the old out.” I was just having the same conversation with my dad. I’m going to try to follow the same mantra.
Something tells me you got along famously with Clyde. That sense of humor!
Happy, happy manatee hugs!
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You would love it!!! He is such a character and his wife is the sweetest lady. He told me keeping the old out works best when you don’t look in the mirror. HMMH!
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I just love seeing older people still kicking and out there doing their thing. They are not couch potatoes. This was very exciting to see. Thank you for sharing your travels with us.
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They are definitely “still kicking”. It was such a fun adventure. Glad to take you along!
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Another great find! You know I love that type of humor (The FAQ was just great!!) and his artwork is truly impressive! And wow, 62 years? That is something special! I imagine a good sense of humor probably helps there too. Love it!
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You would absolutely love a couple hours with Clyde and Nancy! His stories are hilarious, mostly because he delivers it with such seriousness. I know, we just celebrated our 17th, we’ll never live long enough to hit 62 years together.
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Laura, Jurustic Park looks like a wonderful off-the-path destination and just my cup of tea. I’ve always enjoyed this type of art, and have a good deal of respect for the artistic and welding skill required to pull them together. In addition to creative talent, Clyde obviously has a healthy sense of humor, which makes his work even better. I love the details like the grimacing cat under the dog’s paw. Seeing these sculptures almost makes me wish I had a yard to put one in … but not quite. ~James
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I would have enjoyed the sculptures by themselves, but with Clyde as a tour guide our visit was over the top. I have no welding skills but, like you, can certainly appreciate the talent and creativity. Did you notice the “mermaid bait” the Angler Fish had?
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I saw it Laura but couldn’t appreciate what is was. Too funny. Also, another thing that we didn’t mention that’s cool is that most of this metal is recycled. Win-win all around.
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I am definitely in for a visit to Jurustic Park. So much creativity and I love the fact that 62 years of marriage and so much fun is going on. I enjoyed seeing the video too. A fabulous find.
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Sue, you would absolutely love Clyde and Nancy!! Between both of their creative streaks and the banter, you would be in stitches!
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love that stuff !!
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Bill and Sue would absolutely love Clyde and Nancy! My pictures don’t do justice to his work!
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Looks like s fun whimsical place. A place where a person can leave their cares in the car while they wander around the yard with smiles plastered on their face.
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That is a perfect description! Thanks for stopping by!
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