Did you know there was a zoo in Midland? That’s right an actual zoo. There’s a Facebook page called “Remember in Midland when…” and earlier in the day as I was scrolling through all the nostalgia I came across a post asking if anyone had any pictures of the old Midland zoo. With 36 comments I was hoping some of those were men with mustaches in some groovy polyester leisure suits with ladies in rolled hair wearing scratchy looking wrap dresses and wooden sandals holding a cute little baby in a romper made of all the patterns known to man standing next to a teenager rocking a mean pair of poop colored cords, a blanket poncho and streamer barrettes in her hair next to her brother repp’n his sesame street love and some spacy cool moon boots. But alas, there was actually only one post that included a picture. That one picture was still very nostalgically satisfying though I assure you. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! Midland had a zoo guys! According to the post the zoo had legit zoo animals too, Sam the chimpanzee, Bucky the badger and apparently Rodney in the rattlesnake pit was a big hit as well. You know that park over where the lion fountain was? Well I say was but that doesn’t mean it’s not there anymore, it’s just getting restored right now and when it’s finished it’ll be right back where it belongs. The zoo was called Cole Park Zoo and if you were a kid in the late 70’s living in Midland or Odessa there’s a good chance you’ve been there. I would love to see some photos of the zoo. If you or anyone you know has pictures of this long since gone Midland landmark, please send them to me or post them up on the KBAT Facebook page.
Let’s take a trip back to the time of eight track tapes, Tiger Beat Magazine, macramé décor, not wearing seat belts…ever, huge wooden zenith televisions, drinking water straight from the hose, taking rides from strangers, all missing kids getting classified as runaways, record players in suit cases, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!, OG Barbie dolls, easy bake ovens that could’ve burnt your house down, everyone’s mom working for Avon, cops bringing a caboodle full of drugs to somehow deter kids from wanting to try them….even though they all look pretty tasty and now we know which are which and how much to expect to pay for them, presidents resigning so they don’t get impeached and animal rights organizations were just a “bunch of hippies” so towns like Midland could run zoos with gorillas in cages the size of coke machine….the kind that dispensed glass bottle cokes. Send me all the 70’s pics baby!!!

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