What Is the National Humane Alliance Animal Fountain?
This is a huge, polished, granite fountain that was designed for cats, dogs, and horses!
What Makes It Historical?
Hermon Lee Ensign founded the Humane Alliance in 1896, using funds from his advertising career to donate animal drinking fountains to any city who could find a place for one! See, in the days before cars, drinking fountains and watering troughs may as well have been the equivalent of gas stations, and over 100 cities took the Alliance up on that offer!
The Bodwell Granite Company in Vinalhaven, Maine, the same company that supplied the Brooklyn Bridge, took charge of making these fountains. They would each feature a big bowl on top for horses and several smaller bowls below for cats, dogs, and other critters to use! For this reason, they were subject to controversy!
Sponsored by educator and polar explorer, R. W. D. Bryan, the Albuquerque fountain sat in the Santa Fe railroad yards for over a year, because no one could agree on where they wanted dogs and cats to gather! At last, with the blessing of acting mayor, T.N. Wilkerson, the Ensign fountain went up at Broadway and Railroad Avenue in April of 1908 and slaked the thirst of many a quadruped until 1927 when it was moved to make room for a bus line. Today, it stands, mostly unaltered, outside Animal Humane New Mexico, one of 70 National Humane Alliance animal fountains still in existence!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Animal Humane New Mexico!
- Donate to Animal Humane New Mexico!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
615 Virginia St SE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!