Lion King at the Museum!

Did you know that Iowa City once had a zoo? Indeed, City Park used to have a zoo, City Park Zoo. Not much is known about the zoo, but it did have a variety of animals: chickens, monkeys, rabbits, raccoons, bears, and of course, the lions.  A young girl who frequented the zoo in the 1930’s remembered taking old bread to feed the animals.  With her back turned to the lion cage, she remembered one lion lunging at the bars, rattling the cage, and scaring her group.  She also remembered that if she left the windows open in her house on a summer night, she could hear the lions roaring in the distance – not something you hear every day in the city or in Iowa. 

 

 In the 1920’s Harry Bremer, Iowa City resident, brought two lions to the United States from Africa. For a short time, Mr. Bremer actually kept the lions in the carriage house on his property at 1036 Woodlawn Avenue, less than 1 mile away from Macbride Hall.  Inside the carriage house, there is still evidence of the lions; there are metal posts in the ground where the pair were likely chained.  Later, Mr. Bremer donated the lions to the City Park Zoo.

   What happened to the lions? The male lion unfortunately died in the extremely hot weather of July 1931.  He was only 2 ½ years old.  This explains why he does not yet have a full mane.  After his death, the male lion was brought to the Museum of Natural History. The female lion lived in the City Park Zoo well beyond the death of her companion.  She died in February of 1939 and was then donated to the Museum of Natural History where she was reunited with her companion. 

These two lions are a huge part of the museum’s history, as well as the history of Iowa City and its residents. In celebrating this history, the museum is hosting a free program for children and families on Saturday August 11^th from 5pm-8pm. Families can lead an African expedition through the museum, tell jokes with our hyena, and make lion crafts! Following the program, the Summer of the Arts Free Movies Series will present Disney’s “The Lion King.”

In addition to the museum’s program, the Johnson County Historical Society and Hills Bank are hosting a Barn Tour on Saturday August 11^th. The group will be exploring urban barns in Iowa City including the barn were the lions once lived. These barns were either built in the city as a carriage house/barn or have become absorbed by the city as it has expanded. Pre-registration is required. Visit the Johnson County Historical Society’s website for more information - http://www.johnsoncountyhistory.org/

-Written by Assistant Education Coordinator Ashlee Gloede