| The proud and capable Eli Bridge Company didn't wait for the government to bail them out as the effects of the Great Depression gripped the country. They went out and solicited new business when their trademark Big Eli wheel sales dried up. Fabricated semi-trailers were added to their product line in 1932. It should be remembered that the motorized circus business was still relatively new, the first successful tour having been undertaken by Andrew Downie's Downie Bros. outfit in 1926. The Eli Bridge Company was contracted to provide more than a dozen vehicles to the Russell Bros. outfit in 1933-1934 and this bull truck was one of them. It was the first built by the firm. Note that it looks like a 1920s baggage wagon, with a heavy steel underframe and wooden superstructure. This view is out of the November-December 1934 issue of the Big Eli News. |
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Russell Bros. Circus #1 (From Richard Reynolds)
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4 comments:
If only Jimmy Hall were there they would have built a lot better.
Russell Bros. Circus 1928-43 - C. W. Webb and Pauline Russell Webb, proprietors. (Note in 1945, Art Concello took out Russell Bros. Pan Pacific Circus for one season)
Where is it that Eli Bridge was(is)located ?
To anonymous - Eli Bridge Company is located in Jacksonville, IL. Their history from their website www.elibridge.com/companyhistory.html.
In 1893, W.E. Sullivan visited the Columbian Exposition (in Chicago), where he marveled at the original Ferris Wheel. Like George Washington Gale Ferris, Mr. Sullivan owned a bridge building business – Eli Bridge Company. As he took his first ride on Mr. Ferris’ Wheel, little did he know that his life was about to change forever.
Despite skepticism from his family and the business community, Sullivan remained fascinated by the Wheel and was determined to build one of his own. He later collaborated with machinist James H. Clements and together they began construction of their Wheel on March 23, 1900. This first “Big Eli®” Wheel debuted in Jacksonville, Illinois’ own Central Park on May 23, 1900. The Wheel was a great success and, in 1906, Sullivan incorporated the Eli Bridge Company by taking on capital investors to mass-produce his wheels.
Eli Bridge Company was originally housed in a building in Roodhouse, Illinois located right next to the railroad tracks for easy shipment and delivery. In 1919, a new building was erected at 800 Case Avenue in Jacksonville, Illinois, also next to the railroad tracks, and has been doing business at that address ever since. The plans included a room tall enough in which Sullivan could erect a #5 or #12 Wheel. The building has had several additions since and now is a 76,000-square-foot facility.
In 1955, Eli Bridge Co. produced its first non-Wheel amusement ride – The Scrambler®. This new double-rotation ride was destined to take the amusement industry by storm and has since become one of the most recognized amusement rides in existence.
Today, Eli Bridge products can be found in amusement parks around the world and are traditional attractions at parks, family entertainment centers, county fairs, festivals and carnivals throughout the nation. Eli Bridge continues to innovate and change to meet the demands of our customers in the new century. Our new SpiderMania® ride has been a phenomenal success and our Next Generation Mobile Scrambler® is one of the easiest major attractions to erect and transport.
Today, Eli Bridge remains a family-owned company. Lee Sullivan, Chairman of the Board is the grandson of company founder W.E. Sullivan and President/CEO Patty Sullivan is the great grand-daughter. “We take pride in striving to keep the highest standards to which Great-grandfather (William E.) and Grandfather (Lee A. Sullivan, Sr.) adhered throughout their lifetimes. Their values were instilled in the heart of Eli Bridge Company with which Dad (Lee Sullivan) have shared and challenged my generation. Like them, we too, have a vision to build new rides with the quality of the old.”
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