Daddys Taking Us To The Zoo Tomorrow Traditional Cache

You are looking for a cammoed 4 oz. sample jar. There is room for some small swag and or trackables. This should be a quick find after a nice little hike. The best approach is from the old stone WPA steps across Riverview Ave. from the Visitor’s  Center at the main entrance. Please don’t get trampled by the herds of deer you are likely to encounter on the way.

Congrats to THC73, FTF on yet another one of my caches!!

I borrowed the cache name from an old Peter, Paul & Mary song my kids used to ask me to play over and over again when they were little. I thought it was appropriate for a visit to the Zoo at Riverview Park.

At the botom of the stone steps, head towards the Old Zoo Trail, then down the wooden steps.

The donation of Schenley Park to the city of Pittsbrgh in 1889 by Mary Schenley served to create a little cross river competition. Prior to the opening of Schenley Park, If the residents of Pittsburgh wanted to enjoy a park, they had to cross the river to Allegheny to visit West Park which was the only one in existenece at the time. Once Schenley Park was opened, the Pittsburghers had one upped Allegheny and reportedly even treated some visitors from the “North Side” less than hospitably. The residents of Allegheny wished to save face by developing a park with features similar to those of Schenley that they could call their own. The then Mayor of Allegheny enlisted the help of some prominent residents who solicited and collected funds from about 400 residents of the city to purchase 200 acres of farmland which would become Riverview Park. The park was dedicated in 1894 and ownership turned over to the city. It became a Pittsburgh park with the annexation of Allegheny in 1907.

The development of Riverview park also included a small zoo which was likely the first set of structures built in the park, around 1896. This zoo was very respactable for it’s size. There was a bear pit with several bears, an aviary or flying cage, a paddock with deer, elk and zebu and a number of cages with native animals. The zoo was very popular for a number of years but Highland Park Zoo began drawing crowds away from Riverview, and the Zoo was discontinued in 1910.

Along the path to GZ you will notice a beautifully laid stone retaining wall that still remains. The cache is hidden amongst the ruins of what must have been with a number of cages for small animals or perhaps part of the aviary.