St Louis Zoo Centennial Time Capsule - 100 Years - St Louis, MO
N 38° 38.133 W 090° 17.253
15S E 736095 N 4279825
Placed to commemorate the Zoo, centennial anniversary.
Waymark Code: WMB8ZC
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 04/20/2011
Views: 10
Saint Louis Zoo
Animals Always
Commemorating our spark of life
The 1904 World's Fair
Time Capsule 2004
To be opened in 2104
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from Wikipedia:
The Saint Louis Zoological Park is a zoo in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri. It is recognized as a leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education. Admission is free based on a public subsidy from a cultural tax district, the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District (ZMD); fees are charged for some special attractions. A special feature is the Zooline Railroad, a small passenger train that encircles the zoo, stopping at the more popular attractions.
The city purchased its first exhibit, the Flight Cage, from the Smithsonian Institution following the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. After the zoo was established, new exhibits, areas and buildings were added through the decades to improve care of the animals, the range of animals and habitats shown, as well as education and interpretation.
The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair is credited for the birth of the St. Louis Zoo. The Fair brought the world's attention to St. Louis and Forest Park. The Smithsonian Institution constructed a walk-through bird cage for the World's Fair. Ten days after the World's Fair closed, the citizens of St. Louis chose to buy the 1904 World's Fair Flight Cage for $3,500, rather than have it dismantled and returned to Washington, D.C. This was the first piece of what would become the St. Louis Zoo.
By 1910, increased interest in a zoological park brought together some concerned citizens, and they organized the Zoological Society of St. Louis. In 1914 it was incorporated as an independent civic organization of people interested in a zoo. Meanwhile, the citizens of St. Louis and surrounding municipalities expressed diverse opinions as to the appropriate location of a zoo if there should be one. Fairgrounds Park, Carondolet Park, the Creve Coeur area and Tower Grove Park were some of the places suggested in newspaper articles and letters to the editors and to civic groups. Some concerned citizens residing near Oakland Avenue, south of Forest Park, expressed their displeasure with a zoo in the park because of the smell of the animals. The head of the Parks Department, Dwight Davis, voiced his opinion against Forest Park--that is, until the city set aside 77 acres (310,000 m2) in the park in which to establish a zoological park. A five-man board was appointed to act as the Zoological Board of Control.
In 1972 the Zoo joined the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District and began to receive revenue from a public sales tax of 8 cents for every $100 assessed. This enabled continued improvements and upgrades of exhibit areas.
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