Saturday, July 21, 2007

Sells-Floto Circus 1912 (Fred Alispaw)


Scan10095, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Letter from Bill Woodcock at Louisville Qtrs. (1/18/45) to Otto Scheiman

"I never met Fred Alispaw but I have trouped with a lot of old timers who were with him on the Floto Show and I gather that he was a mediocre elephant man like the writer.
He very definitely wasn't in the class with Arky, Walter McLain, Bill Emery, Cheerful Gardner et. al.. Seems to have been a farmer and his chief interest in life was to get enough dough together to buy a farm and get out of show business.
You sent a picture of a tusker and asked who it was, this is "Fritzie", think he is down in Mexico now. Any how Jack Mills sold him to Snake King.
I am going to take five bulls to Grand Rapids Saturday. Letter today from my old friend Spencer Huntley. Says he is leaving Brookfield Zoo and marching off to take the bulls with Polack Bros.
Jean Allen left Saturday to join Dailey Bros."

Posted by Buckles at 7/21/2007 11:34:00 AM

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Colonel Woodcock's self-effacing remark begs the question: "What are the hallmarks of a good or great elephant person?" Survival, without major injury or death? Ability to break and train elephants? Create new acts? Entertain an audience? Provide appropriate animal care and husbandry? Breed elephants? Earn income for the show owner, act owner or self? Owning elephants? Make a living wage for self and family and retire comfortable? Create a public character and fan following? Nuture a new generation of elephant people? Continue the species? Teach zoo personnel and federal inspectors the realities of elephant existence?

22 July, 2007 12:38
Buckles said...

With the exception of teaching zoo personnel and federal inspectors, I would say all of the above.

22 July, 2007 13:02
Anonymous said...

I also agree with all of the above comments,apart from the original question, agreat elephant man is a great man, you dont need to know how or to undurstand but it just happens , may bee inside he is working his balls off but makes it and everything easy, and effortless, I wish zoo personel and vet inspectors would just get down off there high horse s and stop looking down there nose and actually do the job we do with elephants we dont go home at 5.o clock, and we dont allways have the best facilitys but our animals come first, we live and breath our job. that s what makes an elephant man great. There are people like Buckles and dont be offended any body who with just looking at an elephant can tell you all you need to no. It is called EXPERIANCE you cannot buy it in K mart you have to LIVE IT. WORK IT. AND MOST IMPORTANT , LISTEN TO IT , your animals and your peers.

22 July, 2007 16:18
Anonymous said...

Hhumm

22 July, 2007 19:45

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