Borden Park Zoo as I Remember It, by Nan Morrison

Our residence was one full block south of the main entrance of Borden Park Zoo, which was located at 76th Street and 112th Avenue. Borden Park was surrounded by an eight foot high rusty chain link fence. Between 76th Street and 79th Street, the current paved cut-through road did not exist. Motor traffic came via the current 112 Avenue South, from 81st Street around to 76th Street.

In the field, south of Borden Park, from the Street Car stop at 77th Street area, the boys often played on a raft in the middle of the pond, which was located between 112 Ave. South, and the street car tracks. The single street car track ran east and west, across an open field, parallel to the eight foot high chain link fence, which bordered all of Borden Park. School children living east of Cromdale, walked the metal street car tracks to and from school.

There was never a gate to enter Borden Park, from the Street Car stop at 76th Street. A wide paved sidewalk bordered with poplar trees lined the curve walk that gently meandered a block and a half north to the location of the Zoo and the Borden Park Pool. After we had bicycles, we were allowed to visit the zoo almost daily, but with the strict instructions, never to deviate from the main paved walk from 76th entrance to the zoo proper. (We were always warned of the potential of men hurting the girls).

Elementary year-end school picnics were often held in Borden Park.

The Pool was similar to the Queen Elizabeth Pool, with a massive covered set of bleachers for viewing, located on the south edge of the pool. The stand had a shingled roof, and we watched the swimmers through two inch heavy wire erected for safety of both the viewers and swimmers below.

North of the pool was the "free" Zoo - no charges whatever! The monkey cage was probably the most popular, due to the activity of the monkeys. The sunken bear cage often had three bears in it. There was also a cage for a couple of coyotes as well as one for the wolf. Both the coyotes and wolf spent their days walking back and forth from one edge of their wired area to the other - "Back and Forth", "Back and Forth" As we lived about two blocks south of the zoo, and our bedrooms were in an upstairs room, we went to sleep hearing the coyotes howling night after night.

Peacocks were fascinating to watch as they often spread out their beautiful coloured tails. Boys would try to retrieve one of the peacock feathers by using two sticks to move a dropped feather towards the edge of the cage and eventually pull the long feather out, - to rub against the girls. There were also a few ducks in cages.

At the south east corner of the designated Borden Park area, was a separate fenced enclosure in which deer, elk and many buffalo were kept. School children commuting from the east to Cromdale school, as well as local children living south of Borden Park attending St. Mary's Church for Sunday School, Choir practice, Cubs, and G.A. had to use the high wooden plank sidewalk located on the south side of the gravelled 112th Avenue, opposite the Buffalo Pen which was located from 74th Street to 73rd Street. The general landscape had one full block of bush immediately adjacent to the south of this plank sidewalk. Rumours ran high, that if the Buffalo saw red, they would jump the Borden Park fence and eat people wearing red. I, for one, seemed always dressed in red, and our group had to frantically run the complete block, south of the Buffalo Pen, from 74th Street to 73rd Street.