Several things catch your eye upon entering the century-old Brookside Park in Ames.
In one direction, there’s a volleyball court; in another, a splash pad and baseball diamond; and if you walk just a bit past the initial tree line, you’ll even find an ancient fire truck. There are also plenty of shelters and walking trees, as well of several acres of open green space.
Brookside is an Ames gem.
Among nearly 40 parks in town, Brookside Park was the second to be designated an official city park. One of the most popular spots in Ames, the park is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025.
The 82-acre city park has a rich history, which was once home to a zoo, a temporary skating rink, and a suspension bridge.
How did Brookside Park come to life in Ames?
The city purchased the east side of the park in 1925, Parks and Recreation Director Keith Abraham said. The city has been leasing the west side from Iowa State University since 1951.
A wooded, amenity-filled haven… and a fire truck
Brookside’s appeal lies in its central location, complemented by the combination of green space and wooded areas. Abraham said the park receives a lot of use due to its various amenities.
“Parks are transient in nature,” Abraham said. “The space itself doesn’t grow, but the activities and what it looks like changes over time based on the needs of the community.”
One of Brookside Park’s most popular features is an out-of-commission fire truck that’s been at the park for 60 years. The truck was brought to the park in 1965, likely when it was retired from use, Abraham said.
Now, it’s an iconic landmark for many Ames families.
“I don’t think you would find a family in Ames that doesn’t have a picture of their kids or their family on that fire truck,” Abraham said.
Brookside has three shelters available to rent and use: Hickory, Linden and Maple shelters. Hickory and Maple have seating for 180 people, while Linden has enough seats for 60 people.
Brookside has courts for volleyball, tennis and basketball, and fields for softball and baseball. Other amenities include a playground, open green space and paths for walking or biking.
Brookside was initially home to a traveling cultural program
Before 1909, what is now known as Brookside Park was home to the Ames Chautauqua, a traveling cultural program that visited Ames annually, according to the Ames History Museum.
The area was converted into a city park after the local Chautauqua moved.
In April 1928, the Parks Commission approved $2,000 in upgrades, which included the addition of piped water, tables and benches, a shelter house, restrooms, trash cans and cooking fireplaces.
The old suspension bridge was built in 1927. The local Boy Scouts built five open-air fireplaces throughout the park.
Improvements continued over the next couple of years, and amenities like swings, teeter boards and two tennis courts were added.
A suspension bridge, a skating rink and high school baseball
Brookside Park once featured a suspension bridge, designed in 1925. It remained there for almost 75 years, until a 2001 study determined it was in poor condition, and was replaced with the current bridge.
Ames residents once enjoyed ice skating at the park’s old basketball courts, Abraham. The city used to flood the area with water in the winter so parkgoers could skate on the frozen ground.
The Ames High School baseball team used Brookside Park as their home field for 62 years, from 1955 to 2016, until its current baseball stadium opened on 24th Street.
Ames CSD has played high school baseball at its current facility since 2017, but has recently started using the park again for a few eighth grade games.
Brookside was home to a small zoo for 2 decades
Brookside was once more than just a playground for humans.
In 1931, the park added a small zoo between what is now 13th Street and Ioway Creek, according to Ames History Museum records.
Its first animals were a couple of raccoons and monkeys. The zoo soon added seven more raccoons and four monkeys, along with a pair of red foxes, an opossum, a horned owl and a golden eagle.
Two bears, named Maggie and Brooksie, joined the zoo in 1951. The zoo ultimately closed in 1955, just shy of its 25th anniversary.
Flooding can sometimes be a problem at Brookside
Brookside Park is sometimes at risk of flooding due to its proximity to Ioway Creek. The park experienced extreme flooding in August of 1990, with water creeping up tree trunks and covering the bottom of the park’s fire truck.
The Ames Parks and Recreation department will do a lot of prep work in advance of an impending flood, Abraham said.
“If we know that it’s going to flood, we will have to disconnect the power, tie down picnic tables and anything that could float away or get taken downstream, or we take out,” Abraham said. “If the water is high enough, logs can come down and take a bench right off its foundation.”
Brookside’s 100th birthday will be honored with new playground, party
The City of Ames is partnering with the Ames Noon Kiwanis to celebrate Brookside Park’s 100th birthday, with a tentative date of Sept. 13.
The event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and possibly a few games that were popular in different decades.
Thanks to contributions from the city and Kiwanis, A firehouse-themed playground is planned to be installed around the park’s famous fire truck, thanks to donations from Kiwanis ($80,000) and the City of Ames ($75,000).
The playground is expected to be installed in August ahead of the 100-year celebration.
Celia Brocker is a government, crime, political and education reporter for the Ames Tribune. She can be reached at CBrocker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: This popular Ames park, once home to a zoo and a suspension bridge, is turning 100
Reporting by Celia Brocker, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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