Oregon Zoo history is revealed in a surprise archive

PORTLAND, Ore. — The estate sale brimmed with photo negatives and slides, military memorabilia, antiquated mountaineering gear and a box that so intrigued Larry Clark he sprang for the $4 price. Its label read simply “zoo.”

Good thing he snagged it: Images, memos, letters and yellowed news clippings inside the box fill in missing pieces of Oregon Zoo history. The unexpected archive provides glimpses into how things were in the 1950s and ’60s, and illuminates ways that science and husbandry have changed zoo operations. Plus, its contents make you wonder how things might have been if some outlandish ideas had taken hold.

Imagine, for example, Packy, the zoo’s prize elephant, confined to a dungeon because of his frightful behavior.

Or a proposal to use pachyderms to help log Northwest forests.

But first things first.

Clark, a Southeast Portland antique dealer, routinely peruses estate sales. In November, he spotted one across the street from his grandparents’ old place in Vancouver, Wash.

Years earlier, he’d known the homeowner enough to exchange a smile or a wave. But walking through the man’s house, he wished he’d known him better. “Somebody cool lived here,” he remembers thinking.

Clark is too young, at 49, to recall the hoopla surrounding April 14, 1962, when Portland’s zoo welcomed wobbly little Packy, the first elephant born in the United States in 44 years. And he had no idea that his grandparents’ neighbor was Leverett G. Richards, The Oregonian reporter who shot countless photos and produced reams of copy about the big delivery, among other topics.

Richards wrote for The Oregonian from 1931 until long after retiring from the newsroom in 1986. He died in 2000 at 92.

Clark nosed through the box he bought, scanned the most interesting photos into his computer, then gave the contents to Carli Davidson, his neighbor. Davidson, a commercial photographer, volunteers twice a week in the zoo’s photography-videography department.

“I spent all night reading through all the papers,” said Davidson, 29.

The artifacts, she says, “gave me lots of insight into … the beginnings of the Oregon Zoo, and what made it so famous — its elephant program.”

She lugged the box along on her next volunteer day and gave it to Michael Durham, manager of the zoo’s image library.

In recent weeks, he has picked through envelopes of negatives, prints and slides, scanning the best into his computer and adding them to the zoo’s digital files.

“When we find something like this,” Durham said, “we see it as very valuable. It fills in bits of the record that we didn’t have … Back in the ’60s and ’70s, we didn’t really document that much.” Now, he said, “the zoo is trying to be conscientious about our history.”

Richards’ files reveal a cast of quirky characters who worked at the zoo during an era when the nation was racially segregated, the space race was on and turning wild animals into captive specimens was widely accepted.

Notes and stories provide insight into Jack Marks, the zoo director of that era, Matthew Maberry, then zoo veterinarian, and Morgan Berry, the elephant importer and trainer who supplied the zoo its original Asian elephant herd.

Clippings detail the drawn-out wait for Belle to deliver Packy, a mystery given that keepers didn’t know that Asian elephant gestation lasts 22 months.

Richards saved Doug Baker’s Sept. 20, 1963, Oregon Journal column, in which Baker declared, “Packy, the darling of zoo visitors last summer, hasn’t been seen by zoo goers this year. In truth, it’s doubtful that Packy will ever again be a part of the Portland zoo’s elephant herd. … Packy is living in solitary confinement in the old zoo ‘dungeon’ at Washington Park.”

Packy was 17 months — about the same age as the zoo’s newest elephant, Samudra.

Keepers apparently hadn’t the know-how to safely handle a growing and potentially dangerous bull elephant.

Yet, as visitors know, they figured it out. Packy, Tusko and Samudra routinely move through the elephant yards today, exercising and mingling with the females.

Richards’ files also hold a letter from Don Clark, manager of the Seattle-based Northwest Hardwood Association, to Tom McCurdy of Portland’s Pacific Reforestation Inc.: “Is it possible,” Clark asked, “the Portland zoo might allow Thonglaw (another bull elephant) to be used for experimental logging in the vicinity of Portland?”

An April 30, 1963, clip from The Oregonian raises the same question, but there was a hitch.

“Thonglaw isn’t himself right now,” the article notes. “He’s been in ‘must,’ a form of elephant insanity accompanied by amnesia.”

Keepers today, of course, know that must, also called musth, is a normal hormonal surge that can result in highly aggressive behavior.

But that’s another story.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Everett mayor candidates focus on affordability, city budget in costly race

As incumbent Cassie Franklin seeks a third term in office, three candidates are looking to unseat her.

Everett
Judge sentences man, 73, for intending to have sex with ‘teen’ in Everett

The Arizona man sent explicit images to an agent posing as a 13-year-old. Investigators found images of child sexual abuse on his phone.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

State’s draft of climate action plan open for public comment

Residents can submit public comments or climate-related stories online through Aug. 22.

The Edmonds School Board discusses budget cuts during a school board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds school board approves 2025-26 budget

After facing an estimated $8.5 million shortfall earlier in the year, the board passed a balanced budget Tuesday.

A wall diagram shows the “journey of the ballot” at the new Elections Center on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County Auditor: No need for feds to meddle with state or local elections

Garth Fell’s comments were in response to a report of Justice Department mulling criminal charges against election officials.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.