Friday, October 13, 2023

Dinosaurs! Jonas Studios & Family Connection, 1964 NY


 Louis Paul Jonas, 1895 - 1971, was an American sculptor. He built full sized dinosaurs for the Dinoland exhibit at the 1964 World's Fair. His studio was in Hudson, Columbia County, New York.

How does this connect to our family?

First,

In 1964 the dinosaurs were set in a rural area north of Hudson where final assembly was done. My paternal grandmother's family came to visit us in NY. My great grandfather, Thomas Kenneth Mark, two of his daughters and his son - in - law, came to visit our family in Columbia County. His daughter, Ivy Regina Mark Brown was happy to have her family visit all of us. We gathered together to talk, eat and laugh. And the family saw the huge dinosaurs.


The photograph, above, shows the family looking at the Jonas dinosaurs.

In the photo, left to right: 
Ivy R. Mark Brown, 1908 OH - 2003 NY;
Wava A. Mark Braun, 1919 OH - 2011 OH;
Isabell Esther Mark Nee, 1903 OH - 1984 OH;
 Thomas K. Mark, 1879 OH - 1975 OH & 
Alvin Braun, 1915 OH - 2000 OH

Second,

I was a Brownie Girl Scout at that time. Our local scouts had no summer camp location but Jonas let us use his land for two weeks of summer  fun. I was a camper in 'Camp Jonas.' We learned outdoor skills and we were allowed to see all the dinosaurs. 

Once the dinosaurs were moved to new York City and the World's Fair opened, our parents took my brothers and I to the fair. The Dinoland exhibit was sponsored by Sinclair Oil Company. Of course, I had already seen the huge creations. 


1 comment:

  1. I remember Dinoland from the World's Fair! How cool that there's a connection to your family.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by my blog & for leaving a comment. It is always good to hear from visitors, cousins & fellow bloggers. Note that I do not publish anonymous comments.