Wildlife Prairie Park

Wildlife Prairie Park, officially dedicated as Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie Park, is located in Peoria County, Illinois, in central Illinois, about 10 miles (16 km) west of downtown Peoria. The park contains wildlife animals native to Illinois, in a natural environment.

Wildlife Prairie Park
Bison and rolling prairie near observation deck
Location in Illinois
Location in United States
LocationPeoria County, Illinois
Nearest cityNorwood, Illinois
Coordinates40°44′N 89°44′W
Area1,700 acres (6.9 km2)
Designation3826 N Taylor Rd Hanna City, IL 61536
OwnerFriends of Wildlife Prairie Park
Websitewildlifeprairiepark.org

The land was first obtained by the Forest Park Foundation in the late 1960s, and Wildlife Prairie Park first opened to the public in September 1977, permanently opening in 1978.[1] It was transferred from private foundation ownership to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and renamed Wildlife Prairie State Park in 2001. In May 2013 the park was signed back over to private ownership, to be transferred to a group of community members who called themselves Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park.[2][3] The land was officially regained in 2014. A motel, restaurant, playground, train, animals, safari bus, giant slide, banquet facilities, special holiday events and other attractions are also located on the grounds. Years before environmental protection was common practice in most places, many of the man-made features of the park were built manually and with recycled materials to minimize the impact to the environment.

References
  1. "The History". Hanna City, Illinois: Wildlife Prairie Park. Retrieved 2015-10-23.
  2. Wildlife Prairie Park Facebook post, May 11, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  3. "An Act concerning property." (P.A. 98-0013), approved May 13, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2015.


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