Restoration

Restoration. The Changing Landscape. , Named by its owner, showman-entrepreneur R.F. "Fish" Jones, in 1906, Longfellow Zoological Gardens was part amusement park and zoo, and part formal gardens. Jones was reputed to be a devotee of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but it may have been his business genius that inspired him to name the park after the poet who had memorialized nearby Minnehaha Falls in his famous poem, "The Song of Hiawatha." , With its freely roaming flamingoes, performing seals, and other assorted attractions, Longfellow Gardens was a popular destination for family outings. Jones donated the grounds to the Park Board in 1924, and the zoo closed in 1934. The Longfellow House, a two-thirds scale replica of Craigie House, Longfellow's house in Massachusetts, was then leased to the Library Board until 1967, becoming the Longfellow branch library. Except for use as a "haunted house" at Halloween, the LongfellowHouse remained vacant until 1996, when it was moved to its present location and was renovated. , Look for the statue of Longfellow, all that remains of the original garden. Also note the well head among the trees near the shoreline. Installed in 1926 (see photo at right), the 731-foot well and pump were used to create a reservoir that could regulate the falls, ensuring the desired display. , For more information about the Minneapolis Park System, visit our website at www.minneapolisparks.org.