Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Russell Bros. #7



My father and "Rubber" with Aunt Nellie aboard.

2 comments:

Ole Whitey said...

I think Rubber was Claude Webb's first elephant. Am I correct that she was Forepaugh-Sells Rubber and not the Rubber aka Maxine that the Richards family owned?

Unknown said...

Rubber was indeed Claude Webb's first elephant. In 1933, Claude engaged Bill Woodcock, Sr. to pick up Rubber at the W.P. Hall animal farm in Lancaster, Missouri, and escort the little elephant to meet up with the Russell show on the road.
Sadly, Rubber was killed in a 1939 accident that made national headlines because it briefly "liberated" another Russell elephant, Elsie, who caused quite a bit of consternation by roaming free through the Virginia countryside for about 48 hours.