As we drive several times a year through Oregon on Highway 97, we pass this monstrous creature and wonder what it is and why it's there. We knew it must have been a left-over from some roadside attraction in days gone by, but what? The Hub City Chrome signs are new, in the past 8 years or so, so now it's easy to search the Internet and look the place up. I found a nice article on the Roadside America.com site which explains the place and has additional photos!We travel a lot and on highway 97 there are several places that look to be the shambles of old roadside attractions and it's too bad they weren't kept up. But, it's nice that someone has recorded the history somewhere!
5 comments:
It's nice to see someone noticed that there was once something there. 43 years ago, it was my tenth birthday and we were traveling through Oregon as we had done many times always passing ThunderBeast Park. We would pass the signs miles away and I would begin working on the parents to stop, but alas they never would. Until that birthday when my dad reluctantly pulled over and we made our way inside. You passed through the entrance and into the woods where all the dinosaurs were located along a fenced pathway. The dinosaurs were not the usual variety but more odd species and appeared to be lifesize, with each having a little plaque describing what they were. After the tour, you were routed through the gift shop filled with such things as rubber spears and stuffed dinos enough to tantalize any ten year old. I still recall it after all these years and recently, after several years of searching Ebay managed to find a postcard depicting the entrance. Funny to me that you could never find anything about this little tourist trap when Im sure thousands of folks must have passed through those portals of the past (as the sign indicated). Thanks much for reminding me of a fond childhood memory.
Would you believe I was thinking about this place tonight. I'm 48 years old, but I still remember this place fondly. For some reason I thought it was called "Thunderbolt Park" ... and was unable to find it on the net(until tonight.) I knew I wasn't crazy as I remember walking through the park trail as a kid. My family would drive through Oregon from Venice, Ca to see family every summer in Washington. It was a long boring ride but as a kid "Thunderbeast Park" was always the highlight for me.
When I was a little girl my mother's best friend took her three kids, my mother, and me to see their Dad. He was doing some crazy thing with life size dinosaurs in a park he was making in Oregon. Its funny that I don't remember Mr. Houser at all, but I grew up with his kids after they and their mom moved to Northern California (Del Norte County).
The park started out with wood chip paths that wound through the trees. Every so often a giant creature loomed up to your right or left, hiding in the trees. The dinosaurs were made of concrete with metal bones. They weren't all painted yet, and they were probably a little pudgy for real life, but no less overwhelmingly exciting for a little kid.
At that time it was all surrounded by a tall wooden fence, and the gift shop wasn't complete, yet. Though the park wasn't finished, it was still amazing for any child. I don't remember if I ever got to see it finished or not, but what I saw and when I saw it was enough to stick with me all these years.
May 9, 2016 at 1:43 AM
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When I was a little girl my mother's best friend took all of us, my mother, me and my mother's best friend's three kids to see their Dad. He was doing some crazy thing with life size dinosaurs in a park he was making in Oregon. Its funny that I don't remember Mr. Houser at all, but I grew up with his kids after they and their mom moved to Northern California (Del Norte County).
The park started out with wood chip paths that wound through the trees. Every so often a giant creature loomed up to your right or left, hiding in the trees. The dinosaurs were made of concrete. They weren't all painted yet, and they were probably a little pudgy for real life, but no less overwhelmingly exciting for a little kid.
At that time it was all surrounded by a tall wooden fence. The park wasn't finished yet, but it was still amazing for any child. I don't remember if I ever got to see it finished or not, but what I saw and when I saw it was enough to stick with me all these years.
May 9, 2016 at 1:43 AM
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