Available records failed to note when or how the city obtained its two bears, but it must have been in January of 1891 because the park committee’s request for appropriations for that month included fifty dollars for a cage for the bears. This was the earliest mention of the new animals’ presence in the park.

The older members of the city’s menagerie, the deer, eagles, and mountain lions had not been as difficult to house. Fenced pens and large bird cages sufficed. But more elaborate facilities were required for the bears.

However, it was obvious that not everyone on the council was infatuated with the idea of having a miniature zoo at City Park. The council voted to have the Committee on Parks and Public Grounds sell the bears as soon as possible.

The Committeemen apparently met a storm of protest when they tried to sell the animals. So the council reversed itself, built the necessary cages, and continued to squabble over the expense.