cleusk
Well-Known Member
The Dallas Zoo had many name changes throughout the years. During much of its early years at City Park, the zoo really didn't have a name. Every once in a while, someone would call it the City Park Zoo, but not very often. This was because the locals considered the zoo as being part of the City Park rather than a separate entity. By the early 1900s, more people began calling it the City Park Zoo. Because there wasn't enough space for the animal collection, the zoo was moved to Fair Park in 1912. Thus, it was called the Fair Park Zoo. In 1914, the owner of Fair Park wanted to expand the grounds for the Texas State Fair. The zoo was standing in the way of this expansion program, so the zoo was once moved to the current location. The city government had taken ownership of the park in 1908 and renamed Forest Park. So when the zoo moved there in 1914, it was called the Forest Park Zoo. To make things confusing, the Fort Worth Zoo was also called the Forest Park Zoo. In 1925, the city of Dallas changed the name to Marsalis Park in memory of the founder of Oak Cliff. Thus, the zoo was renamed the Marsalis Park Zoo. In 1976, the name was changed to the Dallas Zoo at Marsalis Park. The name was changed for the last time in 1983. For marketing purposes, the name was shortened to the Dallas Zoo.