Wildlife Prairie State Park
Encyclopedia
Wildlife Prairie State Park, officially dedicated as Hazel & Bill Rutherford Wildlife Prairie State Park, is an Illinois
state park
located in Peoria County, Illinois
, in central Illinois, about 10 miles (6 km) west of downtown Peoria
.
The massive park, consisisting of mostly wildlife animals native to Illinois, was first established in the late 1960s, and was first open to the public in the autumn of 1978 under the name Wildlife Prairie Park. It was transferred from private foundation ownership to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
and renamed in autumn of 2001. A motel, restaurant, 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.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located in Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County, Illinois
Peoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 186,494, which is an increase of 1.7% from 183,433 in 2000. Its county seat is Peoria....
, in central Illinois, about 10 miles (6 km) west of downtown Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
.
The massive park, consisisting of mostly wildlife animals native to Illinois, was first established in the late 1960s, and was first open to the public in the autumn of 1978 under the name Wildlife Prairie Park. It was transferred from private foundation ownership to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is a cabinet-level department of the state government of Illinois. It is headquartered in the state capital of Springfield...
and renamed in autumn of 2001. A motel, restaurant, 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.