What began in 1888 with only $60 and a dream — when a Coloradan sold the City of Dallas two deer and two mountain lions — has now become both the oldest and largest zoo in Texas.
Originally housed in City Park, the zoo grew from the original four animals in 1888 to 27 in 1910. Running out of room in the city center, it had to move.
Historical photos courtesy of Dallas Municipal Archives.
The new location was Fair Park, the home of the State Fair of Texas. However, the zoo could only stay there for two years before being crowded out again, this time by the ever-growing State Fair.
While our neighborhood began as a suburb for the growing middle class and as Dallas began to transform from an agricultural economy to one based in industry, so did the zoo.
In 1909, the City of Dallas had purchased 36 acres of what was then called Marsalis Park, previously known as Forest Park.
By 1912, the zoo moved to its current location in Oak Cliff and became a growing institution dedicated to educating the public on wildlife, as opposed to simply housing a collection of animals.
According to the 2001 Dallas Zoo Area Land Use Study from the City of Dallas, the land was originally meant to be used as a single-family residential community to house the growing suburban population before it was used by the City to house the zoo.
From the Oak Cliff location, the Marsalis Park Zoo, as it was then named, continued to expand under the leadership of Zoo Commissioner William H. Atwell. Between 1920 and 1925 alone, the zoo grew from 161 animals to 1,065. By the 1940s, it was one of the 10 largest zoos in the United States.
In 1976, the name was officially changed to the Dallas Zoo at Marsalis Park.
Over the years, new initiatives have revitalized the zoo for each generation, taking more care for the enrichment and wellbeing of the animals. In 1990, it opened its 25-acre Wilds of Africa expansion. In 2013, it became the first zoo in North America to combine African elephants with zebras, giraffes, impalas, ostriches and guinea fowl into one habitat. In 2017, the underwater Simmons Hippo Outpost opened.
Currently, there are plans to expand the zoo. A $119 million, multi-phased effort will include a new African Shorelines exhibit and Safari Trails. Construction is set to begin in October and will first feature African penguins and flamingos; eventually, the zoo aims to bring rhinos and cheetahs to the Dallas public. The construction is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2028.
