Erie Dinosaur Park - Erie, Kansas I first learned about Dinosaur Not So National Park on the PBS show Rare Visions and Roadside Revelations. The Dinosaur Park was located in the yard of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dorris on the north side of Kansas Highway 47, southwest of Erie, Kansas. When Bob retired from his work as an Air Force engineer, he moved to southeast Kansas and in about 1989 began sketching dinosaurs and assembling old automotive parts to create sculptures from junk metal. The heads were formed from transmission casings, crankshafts and oil pans. Vehicle seat springs became ribs and automotive hoods became wings. Over the next few years. the yard was filled with wonderful, flowers, reptiles and dinosaurs. The largest were over 30 feet long. Mr. Dorris passed away in 2007 at the age of 82, but for several years the family continued to permit visitors to visit the home.. Finally, in 2014 the Dorris family donated 12 of the larger dinosaurs to the Erie Community Foundation and a new Erie Dinosaur Park opened in Erie in 2015. The family kept the brontosaurus and the smaller creatures, though 3 of those statues were added to the new park In January 2021. The brontosaurus which wa the largest of Robert Dorris' creations in now at the park, but was not completely assembled when we last visited the park in March 2021. The park is only open two days a month, or by appointment. These photos show how much the park can be enjoyed even when it is locked up, but you can also enjoy the stories about each rustic dinosaur when the park is open.
The original Dinosaur Not so National
Park
copyright 2006-2023 by Keith Stokes |
