The story below is from our November/December 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Editor's Note: Learn about upgrades and improvements recently made to the zoo HERE!
One man, a civic club and a bold idea changed Mill Mountain forever.
Courtesy of the Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
“Willie” was typical of the brightly-colored exhibit spaces used in the original design of the zoo on Mill Mountain.
In August 1951, Cletus Broyles, president of the Civitan Club of Roanoke, had a bold idea – a children’s petting zoo on Mill Mountain. Needing the approval of the city, the Civitan Club made a pitch to Roanoke City Council in December of that year and received formal approval the following month. It would become one of the most endearing and supported civic projects of the decade.
Work on the zoo began in the spring of 1952 with hundreds of citizens, businesses and municipal departments engaged in the planning and construction. All efforts were guided by a five-man Steering Committee chaired by Virgil Hollomon. Labor and material were mostly donated to create the Mother Goose-themed zoo. The idea of children’s petting zoos tailored to nursery rhymes had proven popular in other locations around the nation. Roanoke’s was set on slightly less than two acres and surrounded by a miniature railroad, informally known as the “zoo choo,” operated by the Roanoke Jaycees.
Courtesy of the Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
Brightly painted exhibits housed the various animals and birds. Billy Goat Gruff’s Castle, the Three Little Pigs’ houses, Hickory Dickory Clock, Bunnyville, Noah’s Ark, a large pumpkin and Willie the Blue Whale were a few such spaces. Visitors were greeted by entering through a large shoe (think “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe”) and then directed past a red schoolhouse where Mary (the one who had a little lamb) extended a warm welcome. Admission was 10 cents.
Courtesy of The Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
The $100,000 zoo officially opened to the public on July 4, 1952. Broyles, on behalf of the Civitan Club, presented the Children’s Zoo to the City of Roanoke. While not yet fully completed by opening day, Broyles proclaimed it one of the finest of its kind in the country and stated, “What you see here today represents many hours of hard work and effort.” He was quite right. Roanoke’s Fire Chief W. M. Mullins and members of the Fire Department had constructed almost all of the buildings. The Public Works Department had installed the water lines and lighting and Rex Mitchell had guided the promotion and publicity for the zoo in his role as Director of Parks and Recreation. Some labor had been provided by inmates from the city jail, who worked alongside the members of the Civitan Club. Roanoke Mayor A. R. Minton accepted the zoo on behalf of the city and joined in Broyles’ expression of appreciation to City Manager Arthur Owens for his enthusiasm and support at every step. It truly had been a community effort. The brief ceremony took place atop the concession stand and was broadcast live by WDBJ Radio.
The desire to visit the zoo on opening day was visibly demonstrated by the traffic jams on the winding road leading to the parking lot. The hundreds that came through the turnstile that day saw three bear cubs, three pigs, several goats, a lamb, two prairie dogs, a deer, a cow and a fox. Most had been donated by locals, though the prairie dogs had come from the Civitan Club in Lubbock, Texas. Rabbits, groundhogs, raccoons, mice and birds arrived a few weeks later. The bear cubs and other wild game were released into the national forest by the Park Service in the fall, and the farmers and others who had loaned animals to the zoo had to retrieve them in early September, as the Children’s Zoo operated only from Memorial Day to Labor Day during its early years. While such may seem quite simple and mundane in comparison to today’s zoos, including our present-day Mill Mountain Zoo, the Children’s Zoo proved a hit. There were over 84,000 paid admissions to the zoo during its first, albeit shortened, season, and that number remained steady in the years that followed. The two Texas prairie dogs became “Prairie Dog Town” in time as their numbers and popularity increased. Monkeys, partridges, guinea pigs, chipmunks and a menagerie of other small animals and birds were added attractions by the second year. A 1954 Civitan pamphlet about the zoo stated its purpose, “For many children this is the first such experience with fur and feathers, and it is important that the child’s first meeting with animals be a pleasant one.”
Courtesy of The Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
The above images are from mid-1950s postcards that promoted the Children’s Zoo. Almost all the exhibits were tailored to a nursery rhyme or a popular story well-known to children and used animals and birds provided locally...except the prairie dogs from Texas!
Contributing to the zoo’s draw was the location, Mill Mountain. Incorporated into the zoo’s layout was a viewing platform overlooking the city, a cotton candy stand, a functioning millwheel and even a stuffed animal museum donated by hobbyist M. B. Newman. The Jaycees’ 36-passenger miniature train coursed through a 100-foot long concrete tunnel that always prompted the engineer to blow the whistle mid-way through it.
Today’s Mill Mountain Zoo has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1952. Who would have known then that some goats, raccoons and rabbits would have led to today’s zoo housing 170 animals and protecting vulnerable and endangered species such as red pandas, a snow leopard and guinea hogs?
The story above is from our November/December 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!