Wednesday, February 08, 2012

From Kenton Cornish #4

elephant by bucklesw1
elephant, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr.

dear sir,

Many years ago I saw a photograph that was on display at the Haun Musem at Jetmore
in western Kansas.The old photo was that of a dead circus elephant with a group of people
standing around it.At the time,no one at the museum could really say the details surronding
it,other then it happened in Jetmore around 1911.For many years I wondered about it.
Finally in 2005 I posted the question at the circus history message board(message 503).
and Bob Cline answered it there that the elephant in the photograph was most likely that of
"Monte" of the Kit Carson Buffalo Ranch show Monte was ordered killed after he had killed his
trainer James Hildebrant a day or two before in another town.
Here is a link to the photograph that can be seen in the Haun Museum Jetmore Kansas.

http://www.hodgman.org/hodgeman-county-history/bedtime-story.html

Posted by Buckles at 2/08/2012 05:55:00 AM

1 comments:

R. E. Bradshaw said...

I was wondering if this is "Monte," who was displayed with "Moms" or "Mama" at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair? I'm trying to trace "Moms" after the Hagenbeck-Wallace 1922 season. I found her sold to the King Bros. and arriving in Memphis in 1923.
Billboard, December 16, 1922, pp. 120, 122, 124, 125, 128
"Memphis, Tenn., Dec. 8. "Moms," a giant female elephant, reached Memphis today from West Baden, Ind., and has been added to the menagerie of the Great Sanger Circus owned by Floyd and Howard King, which is in winter quarters here. "Moms" is the elephant which created a sensation at the St. Louis Fair in 1904 with the Carl Hagenbeck Show, being exhibited with her baby elephant several months old. When the Carl Hagenbeck Show was on the road as a circus in 1905 and 1906 the elephant was with the show. In the fall of 1906 when sold to the late B. E. Wallace of Peru, Ind., "Moms" was disposed of to Howe's London Show. The pachyderm was purchased by the King Bros. from Messrs. Bowers, Mugivan and Ballard. Several weeks ago the King Bros. purchased "Nellie," a female elephant, from the Gollmar Bros. Circus. Two days later when the animal was en route to its new owners she mired in a swamp near Tupelo, Miss., and died from exhaustion soon after being rescued. This was the second elephant lost by the King Bros., "Little Hipp" dying here in winter quarters two years ago from pneumonia."

Col. Woodcock reported that "Moms" not Topsy, as she was called in the newspaper articles, was the elephant that escaped in Wilmington, NC in Oct. of 1922. He also said she died on the Rice Bros. Circus (King Bros.) in 1923.
In 1929, the King Bros. sold "Mama," "Danny," and "Eva" to the Otis L. Smith Carnival. In a letter from Bill Woodcock Sr. (4/8/63) to Joe Bradbury
"In 1930 we played Utica NY with the Floto Show and after the bulls were loaded we walked a short distance to the lot of the Otis L. Smith Carnival. They had an animal show or menagerie with three elephants "Mom", "Danny" and "Eva" acquired from Floyd King's defunct Cole Bros. Circus, the last two did an act in a roped off area as a free act."
Later, these three were presented by Joe Secastin and Smith's daughter Maybelle and later appeared in Vaudeville billed as "Maybelle"s Elephants"
So, I'm confused as to what actually happened to "Mom/Moms/Mama." I have learned that tracking elephants is a rabbit hole of deep proportions.
By the way, I see "Rex" on my walk in the zoo every day. (The male formerly known as Bimbo and Barney with Vargas. His name was changed I believe, when he went to Mr. Charlie Gray. He is the stud in the barn at OKC Zoo and has another new baby to his successful breeding resume, Achara, born Dec. 22, 2014.
Thanks for your time.
R. E. Bradshaw

28 July, 2015 22:48

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