The Birds! The Birds!
This is about as close as you can get to the famous 1904 Flight Cage without being in the zoo.
Most St. Louisians know the history of the big bird cage in the zoo so this one is for all those visiting the wonderful Forest Park from parts beyond!
From www.stlzoo.org: The Smithsonian Institution commissioned the Flight Cage for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and intended to move it to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. following the Fair. But St. Louisans rallied to keep the Flight Cage intact, and the City of St. Louis soon purchased it for $3,500 (the structure had originally cost $17,500 to construct). The purchase did not include the birds so the Zoo paid $7.50 for a pair of Mandarin ducks and $20 for four Canada geese. Some local residents donated owls to add to the collection. Within a few short years, it served as the impetus for St. Louis to develop a full-fledged zoo – the first municipally supported zoo in the world.
http://www.stlzoo.org/visit/thingstoseeanddo/historichill/1904flightcage/
image courtesy of: http://bitsandpieces.us/2013/09/03/st-louis-zoos-bird-cage-aka-flight-cage/
BYOP
Cache is not on Zoo fence!
Please be cautious travelling to ground zero. The cache is located along a sidewalk but there is a lot of traffic travelling along the adjacent road.