Where is prehistoric forest

In the s, it began to become popular as a tourist destination with many Summer homes and cabins being built. The area was renowned for its natural beauty with rolling hills and a number of lakes.

Its location on the main route between Detroit and Chicago was also seen as beneficial. A number of family-oriented tourist traps opened up along US Route A sign at the entrance to the Prehistoric Forest Amusement Park. Prehistoric Forest had a number of attractions. A train ride transported visitors back in time as it weaved its way through the forest. Sidwell greeted guests. A walking tour took explorers closer to the dinosaurs and educated them on diet and habitat.

There was the Jungle Rapids Water Slide which was over ft metres high. There was a maze, interactive digging pits and an active man-made volcano.

The number of visitors to the park began to decline in the s as Irish Hills fell out of popularity and tourist traffic along US Route 12 declined. New destination theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Six Flags attracted guests away from the smaller amusement parks.

Prehistoric Forest managed to continue on for a number of years before eventually closing in But the construction of I soon after drew much of the travel traffic away, changing entertainment tastes and redirecting tourists elsewhere. The theme parks along U. They also became a favorite target of vandals. In , students from Saline High School stole three statues and placed them in front of their school.

In , teenagers from Onsted High did the same thing. But the real damage was done in , when 13 students from local high schools, along with two adult chaperones from Waterford, sneaked onto the property and smashed the heads and limbs off many of the dinosaurs. They were charged with various misdemeanors, but they were honor students with scholarships to college, their attorneys noted, and this status earned them a slap on the wrist in court.

Ever since their visit, the dinosaurs they attacked remain headless, or lie on their sides in the forest, barely visible among the brush. Film shoots, for one. She might add zip lines among the trees one day, and maybe historical exhibits about everything from dinosaurs to the history of Irish Hills. But other than adding a tall fence last month to try to keep trespassers out and buy some time, the park is essentially the same as when she bought it. But we have to be safe, too.

She talked to them, gave them names, imagined their thoughts, became playful in their presence. She came upon a dinosaur still lying flat after an encounter with vandals.

She looked it over carefully, imagining its life. Further up the trail, a giant prehistoric bird with black fiberglass feathers and a red beak stood tall in the grasses. She wound her way past a wood shelter with benches, which were spray-painted with graffiti. Probably some animals lined up to get on board with the kids. At the end of the long trail, huddled together in the cool darkness behind the locked doors of a pole barn, was a gathering of many more of her prehistoric friends, protected and undamaged.

There were gentle Brontosauruses and giant birds, massive mushrooms and smiling trees. Crabb hid them here for safety, away from the dangers of an outside world that seems to have lost its sense of wonder and imagination. She hopes they can be saved. The issue is scheduled for an Oct. Multiple hearings later, Crabb was ordered to tear down these structures by the end of Deteriorating Prehistoric Forest attraction deemed dangerous. Prehistoric Forest was built in , as one of many roadside attractions along U.

The mountain is the first thing people see when rounding the curves on U. Trespassing has been an issue , as police have been called to the property multiple times for people climbing through the property. Crabb's vision. Crabb grew up in Dearborn and recently moved back to Michigan from California.