Indian Boundary Park Zoo (Abandoned) in Chicago, Illinois

On the northern edge of Chicago's lively and lush 13-acre Indian Boundary Park in West Ridge, a former tiny zoo can be seen behind fencing as a reminder of a bygone era. Constructed in the 1920s with the contribution of a black bear, the urban zoo expanded to include more than 70 animals at its biggest in the 1950s, including chickens, pheasants, foxes, raccoons, monkeys, llamas, sheep, geese, coyotes, and even a wolf.  Beginning in 1984, with a crumbling facility and growing concern for the animals in captivity, supporters of the zoo helped to renew it with a $300,000 investment to renovate the habitats. In 1995, the Chicago Park District spent another $50,000 in repairs. By 2013, though, the Indian Boundary Park Zoo was shuttered due to costs and a diminishing ability to justify the investment. At that time, the few remaining animals were transferred to the nearby Lincoln Park Zoo.  Today, the space has been transformed into a nature and play area for children, but many of the zoo structures remain. Perhaps on a quiet night, one can still hear a lonely bear roaring.