St. Louis Zoo

The Saint Louis Zoo has educated, entertained and earned a place in the hearts of St. Louisans for generations. With the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, there began a long and slow process to establish a zoological park. Sure enough, local pride in the giant elliptical bird cage led to formation of a St. Louis Zoological Society in 1910. The City of St. Louis set aside 77 acres in Forest Park for a zoo and named a Zoological Board of Control in 1913. State legislation provided that "the zoo shall be forever free," which has kept the Zoo accessible to millions of visitors ever since.