In One Ear

(Cumtux article mentioning the Shively Park Zoo by Charles A. Paetow, Winter 1999, pages 26 and 27.

Courtesy of Liisa Penner, archivist, Clatsop County Historical Society)

Shively Park

By Charles A. (Chuck) Paetow

I remember Shively Park during the early 1920s and before. It was more interesting in those days. Now with just a few buildings left, it seems almost bare and plain in comparison.

The first thing you saw was the reservoir with its fountain, in the middle, spraying water about fifty feet into the air. This fountain was a glorious sight. When the wind blew, the spray would almost reach the edge of the reservoir and the sunlight made rainbows on the mist.

The powerhouse for the reservoir is the rock and mortar building at the corner of 16th and James Streets. Just south of the reservoir was Shively Park. The Park Road runs along the east side of the reservoir and splits at the main road before continuing down the hill to meet the Williamsport Road.

 

The other road continued into Shively Park where it crossed in front of Shively Hall and followed around the contour of the hill forming a short loop. As you entered this road, the first thing you saw on one of the flat spots in the area were two log houses on the left. Almost every boy and girl who visited the park explored the one-story log house and a two-story affair with small slits or loop hoes in the upper room.

There wasn't very much parking space in those days and cars were parked on both sides of the road in front of Shively Hall, making the roadway very narrow.

On the west side of Shively Hall, continuing south, there was a fenced portion of the hill. The fence was even with the front of Shively Hall and stopped where the road turns east. A coop was built to hold a number of exotic birds: China pheasants, Guinea hens, and some others. There were several deer in the steep fenced areas.

 

The deer were later moved to the east side of the park which was a much better area and also fenced. One of the fine deer was a buck. This buck's antlers never did fork. It was always a spike. Whether that was caused by diet or from being fenced in was a matter of much comment. It lived there twelve to fourteen years.

It was about 1938 or 1939 when the deer in the park became sick. I was working for the local veterinarian, Dr. John Rankin, when he was asked to check on the deer. We went up to the park and learned from the zookeeper that Rankin knew that it was the hay which had caused the trouble, because barley beards have stickers. The stickers stuck to the inside of the deer's mouths and became infected.

It was my job to catch the deer and hold them down so that Dr. Rankin could take or cut the beards out of the deer's mouths. It was hard to keep them down so they could be treated, but we accomplished it with torn clothes and bruises. The deer recovered quickly. This was unusual because animals in captivity don't fight infection as well as animals in the world. The deer recovered and thrived after having a change of diet.

About a year after this happened one of our local poachers shot the deer and cut the fence to get them out. I learned later it was done on a bet, but this act was one of the reasons the city closed the zoo area. There were other acts of vandalism which also played a part in the closure of the zoo. I was sad to see it go. I don't recall exactly when it closed, either just before or during World War II. When I returned from the war in 1946, the zoo was gone.

Shively Hall was used by many local clubs during this time, like the Angora Club. We would walk up to Shively for festivals, picnics, wedding receptions, and parties. When the weather was good, the festivities expanded into the surrounding area on the east side of the hall. I also remember the "A" Club initiations there and that was a real experience. This park was enjoyed and used often in those days.

Chief Paetow was an Astoria Police Chief.