OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – Bumps, scrapes, and a lot of fun – Little Oshkosh was a wooden structure known to many as one of the greatest playgrounds around.
It sat right on the shore of Lake Winnebago in Menominee Park. The wood was recently replaced by a safer, modern design.
Oshkosh Parks Director Ray Maurer says it significantly outlived expectations, as most playgrounds in the city are replaced in 15-17 year cycles. Little Oshkosh stood for over 22 years.
“It really came down to safety and maintenance. A lot of it was due to safety and changing guidelines for playgrounds,” Maurer tells WTAQ News.
The City of Oshkosh is now auctioning off about fifty artistic pieces of the massive set to the community.
“The city is not looking to make any money off of it. We have a starting bid of one dollar on many of these pieces. It’s really just for anyone who had an interest in it, we wanted to make sure the community had that option,” Maurer says, “knowing that thousands of people were involved with the construction of that, it just wasn’t feasible for us to have a free-for-all and open it up because we didn’t know which piece somebody might’ve worked on.”
Some pieces feature imagery like Humpty Dumpty and other folk tales, along with automobiles and other interesting content.
The city even took a couple pieces to hold onto a piece of their history, including one depicting the wolves from the Menominee Park Zoo.
You can find all of the pieces up for auction here.
