We decided to check out another County park today. This time, we headed southwest to Lone Elk Park. I spent the day on Friday with a park ranger up in north county which had some nice parks, but the ranger I talked to was based at Lone Elk which I thought would be interesting for the kids - more to look at than fall colors.
The park has an interesting history. It was once part of the Tyson Valley Powder Plant used for the testing and storage of ammunition during WWII (some structures from those days still exist). After the War, the area became a County Park, and in 1948 herds of elk and bison were established. The federal government re-acquired the land during the Korean War and the wildlife herds were destroyed in 1958. However, one lone bull elk survived.
The County acquired some of the original tract back in 1964 and an effort by local school children and a Lion's Club paid off with six additional elk obtained from Yellowstone National Park. Six bison were acquired from the St. Louis Zoo in 1973.
The World Bird Sanctuary is also located in this park, however that will have to wait for another time.
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