"Minnie"

Scan000010650, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. From Anonymous afternoon buckles (& friends), would you have any info or pics of an elephant named Minnie (567)& later 'Old Minnie'? She came from Hamburg and worked for RBBB, Mills Bros, AG Barnes, tulsa zoo and later with Circus Vargas. I believe she passed in '78. Later in life I remember she was missing an eye. Any info on where she may be buried? Thanks for your time. "Minnie" was imported in 1929, she arrived with another small elephant named "Dolly" but for some reason they were never trained for the ring and all they did was walk in spec wearing clown suits as this 1933 picture above shows. Slivers Madison once told me that he was on the Barnes Show in 1934 when these two arrived and sure enough they knew absolutely nothing and had to be trained from scratch. At the close of the 1938 season all the Barnes elephants were moved into Sarasota and "Minnie" and "Dolly" found themselves back with the Ringling Show. In the 40's both survived the Hartford and Cleveland fires as well as the elephant poisonings in Atlanta and in 1948 Hugo Schmitt picked them out to work in the center ring act with his five German elephants. While in Sarasota the winter of 1949-50 while people were visiting the elephant area, a small child wandered under the guard rail and startled "Dolly" who was dozing, she then kicked out fatally injuring the child. As the result of public outcry, she was shot 3/29/50 and for unknown reasons "Minnie" was sold to the Mills Show in the fall. You seem to be up to speed from that point forward. I have a picture of "Minnie" carrying a lion on a howdah with Vargas but it eludes me. MINNIE 1924-33 Ringling-Barnum Circus 1934-38 Al G. Barnes Circus 1939-50 Ringling-Barnum Circus 1951-53 Mills Bros. Circus 1954-55 Ben Fain......Van Buren, Ark. 1956-..... Mohawk Zoo Tulsa, Okla. .........- 1972 Gene Holter Ranch 1973-77 Circus Vargas (As I recall she died at some sort of Veterinary facility north of 1000 Oaks in 1979)