Saturday, September 16, 2006

Circus Vargas 1974


Nice looking pay-off for Spec. Wally Ross at right with "Minnie" a long time Ringling elephant.

MINNIE

1930-33 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

(Retired to a facility in Moorpark, Calif. where she died in 1979)

Posted by Buckles at 9/16/2006 05:57:00 AM

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Up top is Ron Witfield and his cat "Zambia". Ron Created a lion act at Marine World/Africa USA in California. It was a real treat to see him walk "Zambia" around the park without a leash, (when the park was not open to the pubic). When I worked for him he also presented the elephant act.
Don Bloomer

16 September, 2006 14:30
Larry allen Dean said...

with Ron Whitfield up top w/lion
Rex with elephant
who is in black with hook

17 September, 2006 10:24
Larry allen Dean said...

upon closer examination is that Rex ?

17 September, 2006 10:28
Anonymous said...

No it's not Rex Williams.

The 1974 Circus Vargas program shows Col. Wallace Ross presenting the elephants. Harry Thomas ("for the first time any where in the world" ) presented the tiger act. Also on the show that year were Rogana (the Baroness of Balance), Semon's Chimpanzees, the Wally Naughtin bears and the Vashek Duo (aerial motorcycle).

The staff on tour included James E. McGarrity, manager and Sandy Dobritch ringmaster & performance director.

17 September, 2006 18:18
Anonymous said...

Richard Reynolds asks - -

Buckles where was Minnie before RBBB in 1930? I had not known that RBBB acquired elephant(s) in '30.

19 September, 2006 17:13
Buckles said...

You are right, there was a "Minnie" and "Dolly" included with the nine baby elephants imported to Bridgeport in 1923 which provided a five-act for the 1924 season.
No indication these two (along with two others "May" and "Buggs")ever went on the road.
My records show "May" was sold to Frank Buck in 1924 and "Dolly" to Hunt Bros. in 1927 (their first elephant)no further record on either "Minnie" or "Buggs"
Now in 1930 we see films of two small elephants in clown suits named "Minnie" and "Dolly" much too small to have been imported seven years earlier.

19 September, 2006 17:52
Wade G. Burck said...

Buckles,
This Minnie sure looks like the Minnie that Hawthorn purchased from Vargas, who now resides in Tenn.
The gentleman in the coveralls is Dave Wilson, a former assistant of mine, on Vargas, Marineland, Texas Dates, ets.
Wade Burck

15 August, 2008 15:55
Ryan Easley said...

Buckles,
I have found the names for eight imported to Bridgeport, Connecticut, on November 10, 1923 - Blanche, Buggs, Dolly, Eva, Joyce, Mabel, May & Minnie. Who was the ninth?

24 June, 2012 12:08
Buckles said...

ROSE
1923-39 Ringling- Barnum
(Among the 9 RBBB elephants dropped off in Baldwin Park in 1939 when Walter McLain picked thru the cream of the H-W herd adding 12.
1940- Among the 19 surplus Ringling elephants now in Venice, Calif.)
1941- Among the 12 surplus Ringling elephants now in Thousand Oaks, Calif. that was eventually shipped to Sarasota Jan.1, 1942.
1942- Ringling-Barnum
Died in Cleveland menagerie fire August 4.

This was a tough elephant, I have a newspaper clipping showing her wallering an elephant hand around with the Ringling Show.

24 June, 2012 13:06
Ryan Easley said...

Thank you, sir. Instead of an simple answer, you feed my addiction and fill my mind with more questions. Bless you :)

24 June, 2012 15:41
DanKoehl said...

This bull "Buggs", which Chang Renyolds names "Briggs" in the article "Ringling elephants 1888-1968" in Bandwagon, seems to have left small traces. In fact, I can not find anything about him later. Was he sold, did he die, or was his name changed?

02 October, 2012 15:02

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