Carl Fisher and Rosie the Elephant Update

Wade - - -

Entries last month on your blog, dealt with Carl Fisher and his two elephants, one of whom was Rosie.

The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Carl Fisher and Rosie the Elephant

The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Carl Fisher and Rosie the Elephant

I can fill you and your readers in on what happened to Rosie. With his financial world collapsing around him, in April 1932 Fisher sold Rosie and her big cart to Asa Candler ,Jr. heir to the Coca Cola fortune here in Atlanta. At the time Candler was preparing to open his own private zoo on his estate on Atlanta's fashionable Briarcliff Rd.

She arrived there on April 24^th. The zoo opened to the public on August 13, 1932

Candler used Rosie to give rides just as Fisher had done. Here is a photo of Rosie(above) at the Candler Zoo pulling what looks like the same cart that Fisher had used. It makes sense that Fisher also sold Candler the cart. This is a photo from a newspaper and not very good, but it makes the point.

Candler decided to close his zoo in 1935. Around the beginning of April 1935 Rosie left for Honest Bill Newton's Walter Main show. She was with it through 1937, then Newton Bros. in '38, and Honest Bill in 1939. Ben Davenport got her for 1940 for his Dailey Bros. where she trouped until her death in 1943. Her wanderings after Candler are recorded in the Woodcock elephant files.

Rosie was an unusually tall female elephant. My Dad, who lived in Atlanta at the time, told me that when she walked along the brick wall surrounding Candler's zoo you sold see her back above the wall.

Candler's zoo foreman was Johnny Dilbeck. He told me about the hellish time they had loading Rosie for her trip to the Honest Bill show. He said they led her up to the back door of the van but she tossed her head and refused to clamber in. So they moved the truck several blocks with Rosie being led behind. They tried again - -still no go. This procedure took most of the day. Finally, many miles form the zoo, she apparently tired fo the exercise and got aboard - - thus she began her circus career.

Richard

Courtesy of Richard "RJR" Reynolds

Great stuff once again Prof, thank you. I appreciate you passing on your extensive knowledge of captive animal husbandry and history.