Frolicking Bears

This fountain is located on land that was once part of the Merriam Park Zoo, home to three bears that apparently frequently wandered away, only to be captured and returned. President Ulysses S. Grant dedicated the park on July 1, 1880. Built by the Ft. Scott & Gulf Railroad and designed by famed landscape architect George Kessler, the park covered 40 acres from Shawnee Mission Parkway to 65th Street and from Grandview to the railroad tracks.