Anna Johnson

Columbian Park: A Social Center

The sweltering summer sun beating down on the cement sidewalk does not discourage masses of children
from descending upon Columbian Park in Lafayette. For many families visiting the park is a decades old
tradition and no summer is complete without at least one cannonball into the pool or a visit to the petting
zoo. Columbian park is a center for summer recreation that has shaped the social life of Tippecanoe
County reaching back to its beginnings in 1850.1

The late 1800s and early 1900s were the height of industrialization and growth in the west. As Victorian
cities grew and became increasingly crowded more people recognized the need to relax and heal outside
in nature. Public parks were even referred to as the lungs of a town or city.2 They were a symbol of civic
pride and represented the social and mental life of the community and almost every town included at least
one.

Columbian Park as it is known today was not created until 1892. Just like the hundreds of other parks
sprouting up around the U.S. the park began with just 15 acres on the outskirts of town, but by 1889 it had
grown to 39 acres. In 1892 the Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago celebrating the 400th
anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of America, and what had been just a small park on the outside of
town was renamed Columbian Park. Ever since the park has become a center for events ranging from
church meetings, school field trips, picnics, to concerts from the local Lafayette Citizens Band.

As Lafayette grew, Columbian Park grew with it and more attractions were added. While the reservoir
remained the same, the park added a series of public swimming pools with a rectangle pool opening in the
1920s and a large circular pool completed in 1939 as part of a Works Progress Administration project.
The pool created jobs for men during the Great Depression and it was dug mostly by hand to maximize
the number of people working. Today what used to be a single pool is now a full water park called
Tropicanoe Cove.

The zoo was founded in 1908 and the animal house was constructed in 1928. It is one of the oldest zoos in
Indiana and has been home to a huge variety of animals ranging anywhere from foxes and prairie dogs to
lions and zebras. In 1928 the Columbian Park Zoo welcomed an elephant thanks to $2000 raised by local
schools. Lincoln School went an extra mile in raising funds and was given the honor of naming the
elephant, and so the name Linco was born. Although the zoo has since downsized the number of animals
in its care, Tippecanoe citizens can still visit the zoo today with a trip to the petting zoo or a visit to the
monkey’s enclosure.

1
2
Jordan, Harriet. “Public Parks, 1885-1914.” Garden History 22, no. 1 (1994): 85–113.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1587004. Page 85
Columbian Park is one of the longest standing recreational centers in Tippecanoe county. Although it has
been renovated over the years, a reminder of the park's rich past can be visited at the corner of the
grounds next to the playground hill. Just 100 years ago children were lining up for a chance to go down
that slide. Now it stands as a reminder of the park's history and of the lasting legacy of public parks in the
local community and the country at large.

Images
 References

Jordan, Harriet. “Public Parks, 1885-1914.” Garden History 22, no. 1 (1994): 85–113.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1587004.

Tippecanoe County Historical Association Archives