Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Stewart Craven


Craven was the first person to appreciate just how nimble elephants could be and came up with what I call a "Military Drill" elephants mounting on each others backs from pedistals. His innovations came when circus owners began to measure their shows by the size of it's elephant herd, his best remembered act was the "Forepaugh Dancing Eight".
He was also a good businessman and decided to import the elephants himself thereby profiting not only by training the act but the sale of the elephants. Craven assembled a staff of apprentices, of which the best known today is Ephriam Thompson a black man.
Thompson stayed on the 4-Paw Show but for the most part remained in the background while Adam Forepaugh Jr. (Addie) presented the elephants. Eventually it became evident where the talent lie and Thompson was brought to Europe where he became a sensation.
Stewart Craven on the other hand, bought a ranch in Texas and finished out his years in Dallas.

Posted by Buckles at 9/28/2005 06:41:00 AM

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wasnt George Arstingstall also a pupil of Stewart Craven's?
He is also pretty well known.
George Conklin also learned a thing or two from Craven when he was training elephants for the Pogey O'Brian show.

29 September, 2005 14:51
Anonymous said...

Anyone who may be interested,there is a good article about
Stewart Craven that appeared in the Sept.-Oct 1936 issue of
WHITE TOPS magazine.
Stewart Craven,
Master of elephants
by C.G Sturtevant
What makes this article especially interesting is a lot of the information about his life and career was provided by his only child,Charles Stewart Craven who in 1936 was a prominent diamond merchant and jewler living in Kansas City,MO(He was tracked down there by a circus fan)
Also a source of info was Stewart Craven's wife and his two brothers William and Samuel Craven who were still alive in 1936.
They must have been much younger because Stewart Craven died in Dallas Texas in 1890.
K.C

29 September, 2005 15:10
Anonymous said...

Its well recorded in articles whom Stewart Craven's pupils were(at least the three already mentioned),but from whom did
Stewart Craven learn from?
Who was the elephant trainer(s) with the Van Amburgh show when he joined up?

29 September, 2005 16:18
Anonymous said...

Mr. Woodcock,would you possibly have a copy of the 1880 interview that Stewart Craven gave to the newspaper,
St.Louis Globe Democrat,
that you could scan here?
My copy is a bad
photo-copy,blurred and I can not read half of it.
He says some interesting things,for instance
he calls Addie Forepaugh a smart trainer(although of course it doesnt hurt to say nice things in print about an employer).

29 September, 2005 16:36
Buckles said...

I'm sure they were all influenced by Craven one way or another since he was the innovator, either by working for him or being with the show that received one of his acts.
I gather bits of information from programs, route books, newspapers and especially from my father. While doing this Blog in order to keep up, I use my memory as much as I dare and as you say the original info may have come from the St. Louis press.
No idea who taught Craven but his days around Van Amburgh and Mabie Bros. must have been exciting dealing with elephants reputed to be one step removed from being Wooly Mammoths.

29 September, 2005 17:43
Anonymous said...

Stewart Craven credited Isaac Van Amburgh for everthing he knew.
However as far as I know,he only trained lions and tigers.
I think some or one of the Townsend Brothers of Brewster New York,may have been handling the elephants on the Van Amburgh show when he joined in 1849.
Reportly Orinn"Put"Townsend
invented the block and tackle system where one can subdue an elephant.

01 October, 2005 14:34
Anonymous said...

Also reportly Stewart Craven invented the head carry,where a elephant walks around with his keeper's head in his mouth,while trying to maintain his(the h8man's)balance.
Thats why I think you see some elephant trainers with califlower ears.

01 October, 2005 14:49
Anonymous said...

BTW In that White Tops article,his son,Charles Stewart Craven claimed to have witnesses the birth of Columbia(he was hiding behind a cage)Stewart Craven's family were staing in a house about a block
from the Cooper&Bailey winter quarters in Philadelphia.

01 October, 2005 14:57
Anonymous said...

Look how muscalur his fingers are.
They look like sauceages.
Stewart Craven probably did more work before lunch time then most average people today do in ten years.
Thats the trouble today,to many candy-as*sses.
No wonder all those people view Americans as soft and week.
R.L

13 October, 2005 19:43
gunslinger748 said...

Hi one comment stated that Stewart Craven bought a ranch in Texas would this ranch be located in south west dallas county composeing of 204.44 acers what now is know as DeSoto?. My reason is I am doing a title search on my property that was part of this 204.44 acers as I have traced his son Charles Stewart Craven according to Dallas County records his son bought this 204.44 acers in 1940 did he buy it from his dad Stewart Craven. and I was woundering who his son sold it to as his death was in 1955 at the age of 85 anyinfo will help I can be reach at gunslinger1964@gmail.com or my cell 972-217-0800 anytime. Thanks for any help you may have

10 January, 2010 22:27

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