Saturday, March 08, 2008

Adele Nelson Elephants #4


Scan000010944, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

As far as I know this was the first privately owned elephant semi. A pretty good load for a single axle trailer.
Later in the year Ben Davenport bought the elephants, truck and all.
Smokey told me that the wooden tubs didn't last long, they got broken up being tossed from the pole wagon where they were carried.
He added that Ben solved that problem by having iron tubs made and as he watched three men trying to lift them upon the pole wagon he said, "Let's see you try to break these!"

Posted by Buckles at 3/08/2008 05:50:00 AM

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Nelson bull truck looks like it was built in the style of a 1920s baggage wagon, with a steel frame and wooden superstructure. The did not embrace semi-trailer style upper works, perhaps discerning that it could not withstand the actions of the animals therein. Any idea as to who built it?

Seils-Sterling or Bud Anderson, or perhaps both, might have had bull trucks supplied by Eli Bridge Company.

How about a survey of such vehicles from Coop & Lent and R. T. Richards and thereafter, good, better and best examples? What's been the progression of features for animal care?

08 March, 2008 10:32
Anonymous said...

When was the last circus elephant walked overland on a daily basis?

I know some of the early truckers were a mixture of trucks and wagons with the (frequently just one) elephant walked over.

08 March, 2008 14:45
Anonymous said...

Eli Bridge built bull trucks?? I'm from their hometown and that is the first time that I've heard that story.
1CYRK

09 March, 2008 14:40

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