Tuesday, October 19, 2010

St. Louis Zoo #1 (From Eric Beheim)


St. Louis Zoo-1, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

“Pachyderm Pyramid”

The St. Louis Zoo scans that Buckles recently posted reminded me that I have the three VIEW-MASTER reels featuring the Zoo’s three performing animal shows from the early 1950s. Reel #925 (released in 1950) has the performing elephants, #926 (released in 1951) has the performing chimpanzees, and #927 (also released in 1951) has the performing lions. All three of these reels must have sold quite well, since they turn up quite frequently on eBay. Since they were all made using Kodachrome film, the colors are still as bright and fresh as if they had been photographed yesterday. (The original photos are about the size of your little fingernail, so if they’re appearing here at a size big enough to see, it probably means than Shannon was able to work some of his magic.) They are being presented with the original VIEW-MASTER captions.

Posted by Buckles at 10/19/2010 06:01:00 AM

6 comments:

Jim A. said...

The Elephant Show was presented in what is now the Grevy zebra yard in the "Red Rocks" area of the Zoo. Floyd Smith was the trainer. The show began in 1937 with three young elephants, Clara Belle, Marian, and Vi. In 1942 two more elephant were added, Honey and Lady. Director Vierheller wanted to sell the three and start a new show with the baby elephants but Floyd prevailed and the show was expanded. Honey died in 1953. In 1954 the show had four elephants and some goats.

In the spring of 1954 four babies arrived in CA for a new act, in the fall four more arrived. The old show elephants, along with "Jill" an exhibit elephant, were sold to Paul Kelly. They left the Zoo in March 1955 for Kelly's farm. Kelly said they never left the barn because they had TB. By all reports (even those that didn't care for Floyd like Jules Jacot) the original five act was very good.

19 October, 2010 11:07
Casey said...

Thanks Jim A for all the comments on these SLZ. pictures. If anyone knew all i knew it would be you for sure.Out side of going to visit a circus Bobby and mines favorite place to visit was the St Louis Zoo

19 October, 2010 12:38
Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
If there was documentation of TB in elephants in 1955(if we can believe a Paul Kelly statement), why in the world did USDA not start gagging and spitting up and donning surgical masks and respirators until the 90's?

Wade Burck

19 October, 2010 17:37
Jim A. said...

Good point Wade. Few things to consider: Honey died in the summer of 1953. She didn't work in the show due to an arthric foot (painful, stressful, but by itself not fatal). The barn where the elephants were kept could have had better ventilation (new barns do). "If" Honey had TB it could have been spread.

The Zoo's I was associated with in the early 1960s all had local dog and cat vets who'd make rounds one day a week. It was "Standard of Care" for the time. (Today STL has three full-time vets plus a pathologist and vet techs.) Dr. Henderson on RBBB was ahead of the time. We didn't know very much about wild animal medicine.

And Paul Kelly wasn't under oath, just jackpotting.

20 October, 2010 09:34
Frank Ferrante said...

Jim -

Thanks for the great insights on SLZ, it's been a rare treat and experience reminicing with you. ~frank

20 October, 2010 10:46
Wade G. Burck said...

Jim,
"We didn't know very much about wild animal medicine." Neither did Dr. Henderson, until his association with Ringling Bros. He was an equine vet, working with the famous King Ranch quarterhorses in Kerrville, Texas. When I first met Doc in 1984, we were sitting in my trailer, talking about quarter horses. Doc started started telling me about doctoring a particular horse who had almost died from colic. When he finished his tale, he said, "do you know who that horse was?" When I replied "no, I don't," Doc answered "Wimpy." My mouth dropped open, and I almost couldn't catch my breath. Do you know who Wimpy was, Jimmy? When the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) was founded in 1940, the founders agreed that the grand champion of the 1941 Fort Worth Fat Stock Show would be recorded as number one in their stud book. This honor went to King Ranch's WIMPY.

Before I could recover Doc talked about a pretty good "hand" that he knew, back in the day named Buster Welsh, whom I consider one of the greatest trainer's who ever threw a leg over a horse. Buster Welch won his first National Cutting Horse Association World Championship Futurity in 1954 on Marion’s Girl. She was a daughter of King Ranch's Silver Wimpy. He was a son of quarter horse registry # 1, Wimpy, whom Doc doctored. Buster was inducted into the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame, The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame.

I would suggest Jimmy, that at least 90%, if not more, circus veterinarians had their schooling in the equine sciences, and adapted to, and learned about exotic's after joining the circus. Not many of them have come from such a lofty place as did Doc. Maybe that is why he was always a low keyed, laid back, not to impressed with grandiose and exaggerated paper, good old boy. He had already touched greatness, before he became "Circus Doctor."

John Herriott, what was the name of that beautiful miniature stallion, that Doc bred, that won the Florida State Championship, that you got from Doc?

Wade Burck

20 October, 2010 17:08

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