Natalie Moses
Clarence Staley Article
Clarence Staley dedicated his entire life to making the Mankato area a better
and more beautiful place, yet his hard work has gone without much recognition over
the years. The man who would eventually give his life for the city of Mankato was
originally an engineer, working with his father at the Saulpaugh Hotel. Although this
was a steady career, Clarence’s real passion lied in gardening and landscaping. Selftaught in everything he knew, Clarence had a knack for transforming the ordinary
into something extravagant. These talents were put to use after Clarence quit his
job as an engineer and began working at Sibley Park.
Where our well-known park stands today used to be a popular racetrack.
After a terrible accident that killed the track’s caretaker, Clarence took over the job.
He wonderfully maintained the track, including planting many flowers and keeping
the landscape pristine. When the track began to lose costumers, Clarence saw this as
an opportunity to start a new business in its place. He proposed to the city of
Mankato the idea of making a park in place of the racetrack, and thus began Sibley
Park.
Clarence was a humble and hardworking man. He and his wife, May, had
several children, but to Clarence, the park was like another part of his family. Being
passionate about the beauty of landscaping, Clarence took it upon himself to create
the elegant stonework that Sibley Park was known for. He loved the scenery of
flowers and rock gardens so much that Clarence replicated it in the backyard of his
own home, despite the family’s state of poverty.
Besides being pleasing to the eye, Sibley Park served as also being a zoo. The
animals for the zoo came from Como Zoo in St. Paul and Longfellows Zoo in
Natalie Moses
Clarence Staley Article
Minneapolis. The creatures of Sibley Park consisted of lions, ostriches, bears,
alligators, and a variety of other animals, including the extremely popular lion and
dog pair, Mutt and Jeff. These animals were cared for deeply by Clarence and held a
special place in his heart. He was known to take the animals home when necessary
to provide further care to them. “In the spring when the bab[ies] were born and the
mothers didn’t take care of them,” one of Clarence’s sons, Phillip, reports, “Dad
would bring them home where they stayed until they were old enough to take care
of themselves, or the weather got warm.” The Staley home was constantly housing
all kinds of animals, including alligators and lion cubs. However, the presence of
these animals did not make his wife quite as happy as it did Clarence. With much
objection by May, Clarence often brought the lion cubs to bed with him. “I took the
little [cub] home with me…and warmed it up beside the oven,” Clarence reported in
1931, “But it wouldn’t stay in the box I had fixed, so I took it to bed with me.”
Eventually, he was given an ultimatum; he could sleep with the cub or his wife.
Clarence chose to honor his wife’s wishes, but continued to take care of the cub until
it was able to survive on its own.
May Staley was a tough woman, all of her descendants have vivid memory of
this; however, the presence of the zoo animals in her own home gave May quite an
uneasy feeling. The woman was a sturdy and hard bearing person who was rarely
seen with a smile. Besides having to share a bed with lion cubs, May had plenty of
not-so-pleasant incidences with the alligators. She would often chase the three-foot
long predators out of her way when making a trip to the basement. May’s manner
with these animals proves the woman’s strong and assertive attitude. Her demeanor
Natalie Moses
Clarence Staley Article
was what kept the household running while Clarence was busy at work, and was
necessary in order for the struggling family to survive.
The Staley family was far from being well off. They often relied on the zoo for
resources that the family could not afford to supply on their own. Ostrich eggs from
the zoo were often fed the family and coal from the train tracks was used to heat
their home. Another way that the zoo helped the Staley family was providing excess
animal meat. Extra raw meat, meant for the animals, was often taken home by
Clarence and cooked for the family to eat. The Staley family lived in a modest home
much too small for such a large family near what is now Wheeler Avenue. This
humble and simple family did all that they could to survive, but even with everyone
working, it was difficult to get by. Sibley Park’s ability to give this family food and
heat was beneficial in the difficult times they were facing.
Clarence’s love for the park and the animals was evident to everyone who
knew him. His hard work and dedication began to pay off. Clarence became the
superintendent of all of the parks around town. As Sibley Park grew, so did the
crowds. During the summer, people would flock to the park to admire the variety of
animals and the stunning landscape. Clarence and his family were overflowing with
pride and happiness.
The bliss and prosperity of the park continued for many years, until
November 11, 1934. This day was similar to hundreds of others before it; Clarence
was working the park as usual. While he was in the office, a couple of women
approached Clarence asking for his assistance. They had been teasing the bears and
accidentally dropped one of their purses into the cage. The two women requested
Natalie Moses
Clarence Staley Article
Clarence’s assistance with retrieving the misplaced bag. Clarence willingly obliged,
regardless of not having been with the bears for quite some time. He had raised the
bears since they were cubs and assumed that everything would go smoothly. Much
to his surprise, the bears clenched Clarence’s leg immediately after entering the
cage. They then got their claws around his throat. Dick Evans, a young man who had
been target shooting, was standing on the river bank when he saw what was
happening, and shot the bears multiple times with his .22 rifle. The bullets forced
the bears to release their grasp on Clarence, but it was too late. Mr. Staley had been
mauled to death by the bears—the bears that he had cared for their entire lives. It
was the tragic end to the life of a great man.
Clarence’s funeral was one of the largest in Mankato history, being that he
was well liked and respected. The flag on the south side of Sibley Park stands in his
honor, alongside a plaque memorial. However, other than dedicating these two
tributes, nothing was done to commemorate Clarence Staley, the man who had
dedicated his life to serving the city of Mankato.
Following the death of their primary provider, the Staley family carried on
with their lives the best that they could. Harold, another of Clarence’s sons, was
asked to drop out of Mankato State to take over Clarence’s position. Harold carried
on Clarence’s legacy for several years until a disagreement of opinions caused him
to quit. Shortly thereafter, high water came to the city of Mankato and the park was
flooded, taking the flowers, landscaping, and animals with it. The scenic park was
washed away and became just another piece of Mankato history.
Natalie Moses
Clarence Staley Article
Sibley Park has since been rebuilt and is now a lovely site of recreation. It
once again contains beautiful landscaping and many animals, although not to the
extent of the previous zoo. The park is a wonderful site to spend an afternoon with
family, marvel at the festive lights during the winter, or enjoy petting the animals.
The Staley lineage expresses overwhelming amounts of pride regarding Clarence’s
legacy and want the town of Mankato to recognize all that he has done. The
memories of what happened before that fateful day are what make the Staley family
unique. They use these thoughts and stories of the past to remember and honor
their predecessor in ways that not many people are able to. Clarence’s legacy lives
on in Sibley Park humbly and graciously, much like the man himself.