"Of Benefit and Interest to the Children of Salt Lake City" the Tracy Aviary

Utah Historical Quarterly

Vol. 48, 1980, No. 3

"Of Benefit and Interest to the Children of Salt Lake City" the Tracy Aviary

BY MIRIAM B. MURPHY

AT 11 A.M., SATURDAY, JULY 2, 1938, the Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park opened its grounds to the public. Sea Scouts acted as guides to the new four-acre facility with its several hundred birds and a few other animals, notably a quartet of shy seals. By the end of the year an estimated 60,000 people had toured the avian displays provided by banker Russel Lord Tracy for the children of Salt Lake City. During the next four decades this wildlife oasis in the heart of the city would welcome millions.

Many years before he conceived the idea of a public aviary, Tracy collected and displayed birds in cages in the yard of his home at 1285 Second Avenue. As more visitors came each year to look at them, he realized that his collection could best be viewed in a public park. Tracy discussed his idea with the Salt Lake City Commission, requesting that they set aside land in Liberty Park, construct the necessary housing for the birds, hire a caretaker, and appoint a board to supervise the facility. For his part, Tracy agreed to turn over to the city aviary equipment and some 200 birds. In addition, he would contribute $5,000 to purchase more birds. Another $5,000 would be forthcoming at the end of the first year if the aviary's operation proved satisfactory.

The new Tracy Aviary Commission held its first meeting on April 18, 1938, at the Alta Club. The commissioners were James W. Collins, Tracy's business associate and almost like a son to him; Frank S. Emery, manager of an insurance agency; and Calvin Behle, an attorney for Utah Power & Light Company. Tracy and city parks commissioner P. H. Goggin were ex officio members. Collins was named chairman and Behle secretary of the group. Emery and Tracy were to inventory the latter's collection, and Tracy was authorized to buy additional specimens. The commission discussed buying "seals and attractive monkeys as an added attraction to the children . . . ," but "the Aviary was in no sense to compete with . . . the Zoo." Meanwhile, architect Slack W. Winburn was to plan the bird and flight pens, and the city was to fence and landscape the site.

The search for an aviary superintendent uncovered no qualified local candidates, so the TAC looked further afield. Finally, an employee of the Los Angeles Zoo, Calvin D. Wilson, was hired at a monthly salary of $120. Wilson's employment was fortuitous. He became a tremendous asset to the aviary and managed its day-to-day operation for thirtyseven years.

Once the aviary had opened the prime concern became winter housing for more than 500 birds. Collins investigated the possibility of using the old Chase mill adjacent to the aviary grounds for that purpose. Evidently nothing came of the idea, for Tracy advanced the money to build a winter aviary. The bird inventory by then included several varieties of cardinals, cockatoos, cranes, doves, finches, lovebirds, parrots, macaws, peafowl, tanagers, toucans, and whydahs, among other species. Despite the steps taken to protect this valuable collection, some birds and animals died during the first year of what were probably unforeseeable circumstances. A greater hill mynah was killed by toucans, a Japanese robin by troupials, and four blue tanagers and an aracari by rats. Five pheasants drowned, and a military macaw was AWOL somewhere in the city.

During the next seven years, 1939 through 1945, the aviary facility was enhanced and the bird and small animal collections augmented. The grounds were expanded to the south to make room for larger birds and deer. Improvements, besides the winter building, included a new monkey cage, two bird shelters, an island in the lake for waterfowl, walks around the seal pond, a rock shelter for barbary sheep, and the planting of many trees. The TAC was eager to emulate the best contemporary zoological practices. To that end, superintendent of city parks Joseph L. Sloan reported on a trip to the East in the fall of 1944. He was impressed with the exhibits he saw: "Natural surroundings are used extensively. We have carried this out in connection with the building of the new BARBARY ROCK as a shelter and display for two Barbary Sheep donated to the Aviary by Dr. Leslie B. White."

Calvin Wilson, who was praised by the TAC for his intelligence and ability to care properly for the birds and animals, remained the only aviary employee until 1942, although the city furnished groundskeeping services and Tracy often provided several men to work on specific projects. National Youth Movement laborers were also used. Wilson, in addition to his regular duties, began at this time to enlarge the collection of birds by trapping at the Bear River refuge. Sloan reported that as a result of Wilson's efforts the aviary had "one of the finest displays of North American wild life in the country. Also, we have enough surplus to use for trading purposes with other Zoos and Aviaries."

From the beginning Tracy encouraged the TAC to acquire "any rare birds" or small animals it could find. The annual report for 1944 stated what was at least an informal policy:

Any exhibition of living animals and birds is constantly changing and it should be the policy of the Tracy Aviary Commission and the Parks Department to acquire unusual species seldom seen elsewhere, and certain key species, because of the representative and illustrative scientific value.

To that end, limited as the aviary budget was, the TAC searched worldwide for possible acquisitions. Tracy, who continued his financial support of the aviary, secured kangaroos and wallabies from Australia and Japanese sika deer. Many birds and small animals were purchased from southern California dealers, including the Zoological Society of San Diego. Texas furnished a vulture and Connecticut some shell ducks. Among the more expensive bird purchases were a gnu ($300), a male breeding ostrich ($200), a pair of very rare crowned pigeons ($200), a cassowary ($100), a king vulture ($65), and a pair of peach-face lovebirds ($50).

Tracy was very much involved in drafting and carrying out plans for the aviary from its inception until his death in 1945. He was a philanthropist of a higher order than most in that he committed his time and energy, as well as his money, to the projects he initiated. No detail escaped his attention. He envisioned the aviary as a place where children, especially, would learn and enjoy learning about birds, including rare and exotic species. But that was not enough. He wanted to see the whole child develop as a useful citizen. For years he had encouraged the young boys who sold newspapers on the streets of the city to bring their report cards to his office. There the wealthy financier would counsel the boys to work a little harder at school and reward them with money and other prizes for doing so.

Just as Tracy thought the newsboys should broaden their horizons through education, so he thought the aviary should do more than teach an appreciation of wildlife:

In order to develop honesty, self-reliance and moral uplift among the children we placed a large rack containing two or three hundred bags of popcorn, peanuts, etc., food for the water fowl and monkeys, which we sell at one cent a bag (actually less than cost). There is a bank attached to the rack with a sign reading, "Put a penny in the bank and take a bag."

The first few months many bags were taken and few pennies deposited, but the plan was explained to older children who became guardians or teachers and instructed the younger children with the result that most of the children are now teachers and correct any who would take a bag and not deposit a penny. The past year there has been practically as many pennies deposited as bags taken.

The children of Utah never have had a more generous or understanding benefactor.

Tracy's concern for children was nurtured by his own childhood experiences and by the loss of both his sons, Edward and Russel, Jr. Born in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1860 to Congregationalist parents, Tracy carried with him memories of daily family prayer that included always a petition for the poor and of sharing food with the less fortunate at Thanksgiving, a custom he later emulated. After attending Oberlin College for two years, he became ill and was ordered by his doctor to go to Minnesota. Thus began a transient life that included periods of relative inactivity and of employment that gradually led him further west. Then, in 1884 he conceived the idea of a mortgage and business loan company which he established in Cheyenne and moved to Salt Lake City in 1892."

Tracy died on May 17, 1945, at age eighty-four. He had created a fifty-year trust for various purposes, including the aviary. The aviary, the Boy Scouts, and the Tracy Club were to divide 27 percent of the trust income "providing the Board of Directors of Tracy-Collins Trust Company feel that these projects have been taken care of satisfactorily; if not, they are directed to place the funds in other charities." During the first decade of the trust's life the aviary received about $20,000.

By the time of Tracy's death annual attendance at the aviary was well over a half-million, and the value of the bird collection was estimated at $33,000. The TAC continued an aggressive policy of buying or exchanging birds and small animals, but sometimes the commissioners had second thoughts about the acquisitions:

In years gone by, we have attempted, with the funds we had on hand, at first to acquire a larger number of birds. Now we are attempting to secure the best quality and the rarest birds that can be had. We sometimes make mistakes and I fear we have the past year in expending more than $1600.00 for one shipment of birds from South America. While it is true these are very rare birds, the cost of securing them is exorbitant. We received from South America two pair of Hyacinthine Macaws, one pair of Red and Blue Macaws and [three] pair Black Neck Swan. Four . . . Black Neck Swan died in air shipment, but the sellers have agreed and guaranteed to replace them. We are sure that this method of purchasing birds will be discontinued. The particular ones referred to could not be obtained in any other way and there are few of them in South America.

In another and more humorous instance the aviary had second thoughts about its mouflon ram and decided to give the rambunctious animal to a Mr. Cope of Phoenix. "We are glad this animal is gone," superintendent Wilson noted, listing among the aviary needs for 1951, "Repair fence damaged by Mouflon Ram." Despite such setbacks, the aviary was very successful in establishing good foreign and domestic connections that facilitated trades and purchases. Sloan was praised for his "ingenuity" in securing "one of the finest collections in the country" of Australian cockatoos and parrots. Other gifts and purchases of note included Abyssinian blue-winged geese, a sandhill crane, and Andean condors.

The growing collections made demands on the aviary facilities. Parrots, for example, required a six-month quarantine. To accommodate that need Wilson supervised the building of a quarantine station. Among the other improvements the commissioners deemed "absolutely necessary" in 1952 were new wiring and a concrete base for the large flight cage, a seventy-five-foot cage for the condors, a flamingo shelter, a cage for the Java peafowl, and cages for the valuable parrot collection that the aviary had never been able to display.

On August 14, 1954, James W. Collins died, ending sixteen years of service to the aviary. His life was closely interwoven with that of his mentor and friend Russel Tracy and illustrates again the latter's deep concern for children. Collins was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in 1884 and moved with his family to Salt Lake City where at age fourteen he introduced himself to Tracy, inquiring of the businessman, "Mister, have you any work I could do to keep me off the streets during the summer vacation?" Tracy, whose business was modest at that time, questioned the boy carefully about his personal habits and school work and then suggested that Collins apply to several larger firms and report back.

Discouraged by his lack of success, Collins returned to Tracy's office several days later and while standing on one foot with legs crossed said, "I guess they don't like me; they all tell me I am too little or that they have no use for a boy." The result was that [Tracy] said they would have to make a place for the boy. and he was engaged as the second employee [of the firm] at $2 a week or $8 a month for the summer.

Several weeks later Tracy suffered an accident that left him temporarily blind. Collins led him from home to office for more than a month and greatly endeared himself to his employer who received permission from Collins's mother and the superintendent of public schools to have "the boy continue his studies at night school and ... in the daytime ... be trained for a position" in Tracy's business. Collins later succeeded Tracy as president of the Tracy Loan & Trust Company and participated in all of the older man's charitable activities. Tracy went so far as to say that without Collins "there would be no Tracy Aviary."

The aviary's need for new fencing and cages, painting and repairs remained constant. Another constant was the income generated by the Tracy trust—more than $3,000 annually by the 1960s. For several years the money was allowed to accumulate, a policy not intended by the donor. The TAC report for 1968 explains why:

One of the reasons a substantial amount of the annual contributions has not been spent for the purchase of new livestock, which was Mr. Tracy's desire, is because of inadequate winter housing for additional birds.

A committee was appointed to draw' up long range plans that bore fruit in June 1970 when the new Calvin D. Wilson bird pavilion was dedicated. The large octagonal structure accommodated forty-two winter-housing cages inside and fourteen large outside exhibition cages to "display exclusively new and colorful varieties of birds never before seen at the Tracy Aviary."

By 1971 the aviary encompassed eleven acres at Liberty Park and displayed some 250 species and subspecies, including 70 waterfowl. In September of that year when the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums held its convention in Salt Lake City, Tracy Aviary received many compliments from the visitors and established valuable contacts that led to the acquisition of new stock through trades. The aviary continued an active purchase program as well, until 1973 when an outbreak of Newcastle disease on the West Coast made foreign birds unobtainable. In addition to trades and purchases, the aviary's collections continued to increase through Wilson's success at breeding in captivity a number of rare species such as the leadbeater cockatoo, ruddy duck, and trumpeter swan. The completion in 1974 of a flightless bird area and a monkey building further enhanced the facility.

Several major changes affected the aviary in the mid-1970s. Calvin Wilson retired on July 1, 1975, and Richard T. Andrews who had been a zoologist at Hogle Zoo was hired to assume the duties of aviary director and curator. The following year, Salt Lake City decided to include the aviary in a study of the zoo undertaken by Zooplan Associates, Inc. Mayor Ted L. Wilson advised those concerned to "keep an open mind" about any recommendation to combine the zoo and aviary boards. Zooplan suggested just such a merger for "more efficient administration, improved planning and improved opportunity of financing." In June 1977 the TAC unanimously approved the merger and its own dissolution. The Utah Zoological Society board would be expanded to include at least three of the TAC members, the administration of the aviary would be transferred to the UZS, and the aviary would remain indefinitely at Liberty Park with the name Tracy to be forever associated with that facility. The future of Tracy's dream "to create something of benefit and interest to the children of Salt Lake City" seemed assured.

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