The gift of nature: The story of the ‘Ball Forty’

Editor's Note: This is the final piece of a four-part series on the life and legacy of John Ball. You can read Part 1 , Part 2 and Part 3 .

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — John Ball Zoo is one of West Michigan's gems. It boasts more than 700,000 visitors each year and is one of the "top 5 most attended cultural facilities" in the state. While the zoo as we know it is more than 70 years old, its roots date back another eight decades.

John Ball Zoo is named after John Ball , a lawyer/educator/explorer/settler/lawmaker who left his mark not only on West Michigan, but also across the country and even the other side of the world. The first three installments of this series focus on Ball's life and his journey to West Michigan. This final piece focuses on one of his greatest gifts: the Ball Forty.

THE BALL FORTY

In 2000, the Grand Rapids City Commission launched a committee to study the history of the John Ball Park area and determine whether it could be designated as a historic district. The committee's report was presented in 2002, telling a long, winding story that shows a city growing alongside its first multiuse park.

John Ball died Feb. 5, 1884, at 89 years old. The Ball Forty dates back to before that. According to the study, Ball had told city officials years in advance of his plans to donate a 40-acre plot of land to be preserved for recreation. Records as far back as 1869 talk about the "Ball Forty" — his promised land. The property was already a "popular gathering place and informal recreation ground" long before it became part of the city's park system.

According to Rebecca Smith-Hoffman, one of the authors of the historic study, the park concept was relatively new and provided a healthy alternative for Grand Rapids.

"Chicago had begun its first park at that time. So I think the connection between Chicago and (Martin) Ryerson . ... It was just how ideas permeate out," Smith-Hoffman told News 8. "The whole idea of planning cities and what we have, or even just thinking longer term."

She also noted a desire for more greenspace and a place to escape the industrial pollution that was becoming a problem downtown.

"No one in the neighborhood did the laundry because they couldn't hang it outside because it (would get) dirty again," Smith-Hoffman said. "The air pollution, the water pollution. People are starting to look at that and think, maybe we should do something about this."

Many Grand Rapidians loved the idea of a park, but it wasn't unanimously approved. For one, the land was not easy to access. In the 1880s, the city's infrastructure had yet to extend as far as the Ball Forty along what is now Fulton Street near I-196. Second, part of it was swampland that some found less than ideal for a park. And third, notably: The property wasn't within the city limits.

The Ball Forty at that time was a part of Walker Township. Following Ball's death, Grand Rapids city officials and Walker Township officials worked together on a plan to move forward, including expanding Fulton Street to the parkland. Grand Rapids graded the road to the city limit and Walker graded it from the city limit to the parkland.

By 1892, a streetcar line ran from downtown to the park and the city's expansion was in full gear.

"Not only did these improvements provide greater public access to the park, they also encouraged the westward development of the city. Land around the park became highly desirable residential property," the study reads.

In 1890, the city's Common Counsel voted unanimously to name the property "John Ball Park" as a "proper recognition of the honorable, useful and public-spirited life of Mr. Ball."

SHIFTING BOUNDARIES

To be clear, the Ball Forty was not where Ball and his family lived. Their home was on Fulton Street between what is now College and Prospect avenues. The home stood for more than a century, but eventually fell into disrepair and was demolished in the 1960s.

The Ball Forty was one of many properties in the land prospector's portfolio. This one was originally purchased as part of a gypsum mining venture that never materialized.

The original 40 acres also may not be what people picture when they think of John Ball Park. It was almost exclusively bluffs and a pond that would flood out in the spring.

It took several more additions to make it the park that we recognize. The first was in 1891, adding 17 acres to the southern end of the park and pushing the boundary to Butterworth Street. In 1895, the "North Forty" was purchased, another undeveloped patch of land that remained undisturbed for more than a decade before a road was added to provide better public access. Two years later, the park added another 9.5 acres to extend further east along Butterworth.

Some of the purchases went smoothly. Others, less so, including the flatland that most people associate with the former park.

"One of the last major parts (of the expansion) was the McNamara property," Smith-Hoffman told News 8. "When Mrs. McNamara died, her daughter was outraged that the city had made a deal with her before she died that they were going to buy it."

The dispute played out in court over the course of six years, with McNamara's children seeking additional payment from the city. By 1909, it was settled, and the 30-acre McNamara property was officially a part of the park.

The city made other small purchases over the next 20 years to bring the park to 142.2 total acres. It remained that size until the 1960s when I-196 was built, cutting through the "North Forty" portion of the park. When the dust settled, the park was approximately 110 acres.

The boundaries weren't the only elements in flux. The park itself had all sorts of draws. John Ball Park had playgrounds and baseball fields. The park's bandshell hosted countless concerts over the years. Tennis and basketball courts, tether ball poles, and all sorts of other facilities were added or renovated, depending on what parkgoers wanted.

The city also took some big swings with the park. At one point, it was home to a conservatory, a dance parlor, and even a formal garden with lush flowerbeds and ornamental bridges and trellises.

At one point in the early 20th century, the city added a pool to the park. It was eventually shuttered as a cost-cutting move during the Great Depression and never reopened. The park also held a nine-hole golf course from 1923 until 1963.

THE ZOO

Of course, there is no bigger draw than John Ball Zoo. Animals have always been had a home in the park, and not just wild ones. The John Ball Zoo as we know it today was established in 1949, but the land has held all sorts of animals since the late 1800s.

According to the historic study, city records from 1891 discuss adding animals to the ones already housed at the park. Some of the animals kept there were orphaned or injured and needed care. Others were bought by private benefactors to give visitors more animals to see.

The first pair of animals kept there was a pair of rabbits. By 1899, the zoo had some common animals found in West Michigan, like raccoons, foxes, deer and geese. It also had some big game, including three bears, wolves, badgers and a wildcat. It even added some exotic animals, including monkeys, alligators, peacocks and macaws.

John Ball Park was treated as the jewel of the city's park system. According to Kent County records , the budget for maintaining it in 1905 was $5,000. The next highest budget for a single city park was $80.

The park's zoo, however, was hit hard by the Great Depression. Many of the animals were sold off or given to other zoos to cut costs. Some of the animals, namely buffalo and deer, were butchered and processed to be used as food. By the end of the depression, only a few animals remained.

In 1949, Grand Rapids resident Katherine Whinery took on the mission to resurrect the zoo, working with city officials to make it a priority.

"(The city of Grand Rapids) offered to hire a zoo director, rebuild and maintain the zoo if private citizens would form an organization to assist with private contributions and support to offset the cost of building new exhibits and purchasing animals," Kent County's history page reads.

Whinery helped organize the group and the John Ball Zoological Society was formed.

Fred Meyer (not to be confused with Fred Meijer of the supermarket chain) was hired from Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo to be the zoo director. Through the 1950s and 1960s, the John Ball Zoo slowly took form at the park, starting with its first "new exhibit" — Monkey Island.

The Zoological Society put together a new master plan in 1979 to expand and renovate, but some projects were put on hold as funding issues popped up. By 1989, all parties involved determined the easiest way to help the zoo grow was to have Kent County purchase the zoo and the park. The purchase folded the park property into the zoo and technically marked the end of "John Ball Park," however, part of the property is still used for recreation purposes to this day.

The shift kickstarted even more expansion, spurred along by a $20 million fundraiser. That project included the Living Shores Aquarium, new concessions facilities and a new ramp system which debuted in 1995. The African Forest Edge exhibit opened in 1996, a new animal hospital opened in 1999, and the chimpanzee exhibit opened in 2001.

Kent County, the owners of the zoo, and the John Ball Zoological Society merged in 2014 to form the nonprofit that operates the zoo today, continuing to expand, bring in new species and provide educational programs for more than 140,000 students each year.

John Ball Zoo CEO Peter D'Arienzo says it's fitting that the zoo is named after a pioneer with such a strong connection to nature.

"John Ball Zoo is proud of our namesake, John Ball, a respected naturalist," D'Arienzo said in a statement. "We share the same passion John Ball did for wildlife conservation, and honor him each day through the important work we do here at the Zoo and beyond."

And then there's the statue of John Ball: one of the most well-known in the city and a site of countless childhood memories.

concept for the statue was designed by local cartoonist Gertrude Van Houten. Italian sculptor Pompeo Luigi Coppini was commissioned to make the piece, using Ball's son, Waldo, and two of Ball's grandchildren as models.

It was installed in John Ball Park in August of 1925 and is included on the National Register of Outdoor Sculpture.

Since its installation, the statue has been moved three times but has never left the park grounds. It currently sits outside of the zoo's entrance, making it more accessible to the public.

On Oct 18, 1936, the Grand Rapids Herald published an editorial marking the 100th anniversary of Ball's arrival in Grand Rapids. While he is now remembered mostly for the statue and the zoo that bear his name, the writers pushed for his story to live on, as well.

"He was a most remarkable human being," the editorial says. "It is a significant fact that while he gave Oregon a good trial and various other spots on the globe a thorough investigation, this great adventurer, scholar and builder finally settled upon Grand Rapids as the best of all spots to settle down and live.

"We should honor him not only for his personal qualities and his service to this city, but for the compliment he paid (us) through his decision to settle here."