Traded for Five Monkeys: The Bizarre and Tragic Life of Grand Junction’s Original Leo the Lion

If you've spent any time at Las Colonias Park lately, you've probably spotted that giant lion near the Riverfront Trail and thought, "huh, that's random."

It's actually not random at all. It's a tribute to one of Grand Junction's most beloved (and most tragic) local legends: Leo the Lion.

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A Zoo in the Middle of Grand Junction

Believe it or not, Lincoln Park used to have an actual zoo. We're talking bears, lions, a couple of monkeys, the whole deal.

It shut down around 1970, but the legacy lives on, especially Leo's.

There were actually two Leo the Lions. The first arrived in 1936 after being traded, get this, for five monkeys. A lion for five monkeys. Bold move, Grand Junction.

He quickly became the star of the zoo and a community favorite.

Leo the First: A Tragedy Left Unsolved

Then, on February 5, 1954, Leo was found dead in his cage. Shot. Twice. Once in the head, once in the body, with a .22-caliber bullet. And here's the kicker, nobody was ever caught.

Seventy years later, it's still unsolved. What makes it even darker? This wasn't even the first time someone shot him. A gunman targeted Leo back in 1952, and he somehow survived.

The leading theory is that his nightly roaring kept nearby residents up, which, sure, but murder?

Leo the Second: A Happier Beginning, A Bittersweet End

After Leo's death, the Lions Club and the Humane Society stepped up, bringing in a mother lion and two cubs. One of those cubs became Leo the Second.

Sadly, Leo II's story isn't much cheerier. He spent his whole life at the zoo and died in 1969 from cancer that everyone initially mistook for a toothache.

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The zoo closed that same year, and residents were devastated. Some things just hit different when you know the history.