Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Circus 1942

I remember D.R. telling my dad the story of their first elephant "Hattie" she was originally a Ringling elephant going back to about 1895 but was now in the Hagenbeck-Wallace herd lying dormant in California in 1939. Obert and D.R. drove a truck out there and Cheerful Gardner showed them around (D.R. said he was terrified) and they settled on "Hattie" who was purchased 1/1/40. She was a sweet old cow, Cheerful could have unloaded anything on them. In 1941 they bought a second elephant even older, "Mena" who came from the Hagenbeck Zoo in 1890 for the M.L. Clark wagon show. They now had a herd of two until Hattie died 11/3/41 in Cranfield, Okla. So now we get to 1942 and we see "Mena" and "Tena" pictured above with Obert Miller on the horse. World War II arrived and "Tena's" previous owner, Russell Hall, was drafted into the Army and given 30 days to dispose of his elephant. Mr. Hall was a descendant of Col. George W. "Pop-corn" Hall out of Janesville, Wis. Andrew Downie first owned "Tena" with his Downie Bros. Circus, framed in 1926. Unfortunately I have jumped all around with these Kelly-Miller elephants rather than have the years in proper order. Yet I am sure the hard core "elephant nut" will figure it out.