Bison and the National Zoo

Bison and the National Zoo (HM23Y4)

Location: Washington, DC 20008
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 55.892', W 77° 3.146'

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Inscription
From collector to conservationist
In 1886, the Smithsonian sent its Chief Taxidermist, William T. Hornaday, to Montana to collect bison for a display. Hornaday was shocked by how few bison he saw. While he did kill some animals for the display, he also collected live animals specifically to establish a herd. He housed the bison behind the Smithsonian Castle where they became a hit with the public.

A park becomes a zoo.
Hornaday believed a national zoo was needed to protect endangered species like bison. In 1889, Congress acted on his idea and created the National Zoological Park "for the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people." In 1890, the Zoo became part of the Smithsonian, and in 1891 it opened to the public at its current Rock Creek Park site. Among the Zoo's first animals were a black bear, a bald eagle, a panther and of course, American bison.

Image captions:
Hornaday with young bison (1886)
Smithsonian Institution Archives. Record Unit 95. Negative Number 74-12338

Bison behind the Smithsonian Castle (c. 1886-89)
Smithsonian Institution Archives. Record Unit 95. Negative Number 8008A

School children viewing the first bison at the Zoo (1899)
Smithsonian Institution Archives. Accession 98-015.
Negative
Number 2003-19498
Details
HM NumberHM23Y4
Tags
Placed BySmithsonian Institution
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, December 19th, 2017 at 7:02am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 322096 N 4311181
Decimal Degrees38.93153333, -77.05243333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 55.892', W 77° 3.146'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 55' 53.52" N, 77° 3' 8.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Olmsted Walk, Washington DC 20008, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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