Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Paris Park ~ 22090 Northland Drive, Paris, Michigan

This is a curious and unique park with a 20 foot "Eiffel Tower."  When we visited last March all the park gates were closed and we had this view through the fence.
But in June everything was open although we had to pay a $7.00 fee to get into the park (we could have paid $30 for an annual pass but saw no reason to do that 😏). The campground looked full but we saw no people.
After a short walk, we got to see the tower. Apparently back in the 1930s Paris Park had bunkhouses for WPA workers and the metal bed frames were kept and stored. In the 1980s, some students designed this sculpture from that metal.
The second thing of interest in this park is the fish hatchery. Fish food is provided on site and the rainbow trout will break the surface for food.
Bookending the park with the tower is an eight foot tall Native American sculpture created in the 1930s. The artist and purpose are lost to history but we do know it was a WPA project and it's a Chippewa Chief.
If these oddities are not enough for you, look for these on a nearby side street (photos from March).
Lastly, we found this historic marker on 22 Mile Road near the 131 interchange. What a remarkable woman!
And that wrapped up our Paris adventures 😊