Pine Grove Zoo, the second oldest in Minnesota

This is the first of three articles about the Pine Grove Zoo in Little Falls. Next: Pine Grove Zoo takes great measures to improve animal welfare.

Founded in 1913, the Pine Grove Zoo in Little Falls is the second oldest zoo in Minnesota. The oldest zoo is Como Zoo in St. Paul, which was established in 1897, said Pine Grove Zoo Director Marnita Van Hoecke.

Prior to the Pine Grove Zoo being established, the land was deeded to the City of Little Falls, Sept. 13, 1907. The idea of the 55-acre Pine Grove Park property was initially to preserve old growth forest for the enjoyment of future generations. At the time, many forests were completely harvested for its pine.

According to the Pine Grove Zoo website, the land was originally owned by Frank Foster, who in accordance with the U.S. Homesteaders Act, received the first homesteaders deed in Little Falls in 1879. Ownership of the property was later transferred to L.M. Roberts and E.F. Shaw, which sold it to the City of Little Falls for $4,100. Of that amount, the City paid $270, $730 was raised through donations from the public and the remaining $3,100 was covered by businessmen M. Williams, A. Davidson, C. Weyerhaeuser and R. Musser.

The property was relatively untouched with the exception of a well traveled dirt road on the south side and the Little Falls & Dakota RR, a brand of the Northern Pacific Railroad, that ran through the northern edge. However, according to the zoo’s website, two fires that were caused by sparks from the railroad broke out on July 20, 1910 and July 27, 1910. While “only the eastern half of the park burned and only lowland grass lost,” the City moved to create roads through the park to create a “fire break.” Those roads are present to this day.

While the Pine Grove Zoo is still owned by the City of Little Falls, back then, Van Hoecke said, the zoo was managed by the city’s Park Committee. The first animals to inhabit the zoo were two Great horned owls that became very popular with visitors.

A lot has changed at the Pine Grove Zoo since it was first established, especially in terms of animal care and their habitats. However, back then, as was the norm at the time, Van Hoecke said the owls were placed in cages and over time, more animals were added to the zoo.

Some of the animals that were added to the zoo after the owls were a moose, bison, elk, which came from Yellowstone National Park, elevated white tail deer, pronghorn animals, bobcats, cougars, monkeys and bears, Van Hoecke said.

“The original zoo was set up so you had to drive by the animals,” she said. “They were all in these little cages that were lined up along the drive.”

The popularity of Pine Grove Zoo grew steadily over the years, which was evident by the increased number of visitors. Seeing the success with the zoo, Van Hoecke said the City opted to build a few more cages and add more animals. However, in April 1917 during World War I, the Park Committee had to cut costs, and as a result, opted not to expand.

According to the zoo’s website, the “beginning of the zoo’s existing stonework began in 1932. Stone pillars were erected on either side of the main gate by the Work Progress Administration (WPA). In 1940, the largest addition of the rock formation were erected (which) included the cut granite wall along the road on the southern edge of the zoo.”

Van Hoecke said around the 1970-80s people across the globe voiced a need for change in how zoo animals were kept and cared for.

“The whole world started wanting to have a different set of quality standards for animals in captivity, so there started to be some outpouring of requests to get the animals out of small concrete cages, because they were really tiny,” she said. “Some of them were in 12-foot-by-15-foot cement cages. I hate that word, but I call them cages, because that’s what they were.”

The public outcry for animals in captivity also targeted circuses and other “roadside zoos.”

“Of course, just like today, there are good zoos and there are bad zoos, good animal facilities and bad animal facilities, but the general public really had a push. They really wanted the animals out of these cages,” she said.

In 1991, the non-profit organization, the Friends of the Pine Grove Zoo, was established. As the zoo was owned by the City of Little Falls, the organization wanted to help the city make improvements for the animals living at the Pine Grove Zoo. The group also worked on solutions with Jerry Lochner, who was the city administrator at the time.

Initially, Van Hoecke said, the Friends of the Pine Grove Zoo concentrated their efforts on raising funds to help the city acquire funding to place the animals in larger habitats. It was the beginning to what the zoo is like today.