Vintage Zoo Pamphlets Feature Odd Exhibits & Extinct Animals

Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer


Multi-person elephant rides, orangutans eating from fine china, and carnivores on display before becoming extinct are just some of the scenes from an online exhibit of vintage zoo pamphlets being featured by the Smithsonian Institution.

The pamphlets, photos and zoo maps, available from the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, come from zoos in more than 30 U.S. states and 40 countries. They show elephants in Australia ferrying schoolchildren on their backs, close-up looks at tigers in Prague, and illustrations from 1891 of a thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, a carnivorous marsupial on display at the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London. The last known thylacine died in captivity in 1936.

The vintage materials reveal how much zoos have changed from amusement-park-like attractions to more educational, conservation-minded institutions. A guide to Great Britain's Clifton Zoological Gardens from 1912, for example, shows prison-like animal enclosures encased in heavy bars. Primates were often posed doing human-like activities. One Minnesota zoo guide from 1928 shows a chimpanzee in a stroller. The New York Zoological Park guide, published in 1905, has photographs of orangutans sitting around a table draped with a white tablecloth, mimicking a family dinner.

"Some of the photographs of animal enclosures, restraint devices and mock theatrics, while unsettling to some, are an important part of the history of human-animal relations," wrote Alvin Hutchinson, the head of information services at Smithsonian Libraries, in an introduction to the collection.

These days zoos are focused increasingly on conservation and research rather than on anthropomorphized chimps. Smithsonian's National Zoo, for example, recently live-tweeted an attempt to artificially inseminate its giant panda Mei Xiang. There are only about 1,600 pandas left in the wild, and captive-breeding programs are part of an effort to save the species.

In turn, zoo residents give researchers a glimpse at the cognitive capabilities of wild animals. Recently, for example, Santino, a chimpanzee at Furuvik Zoo in Sweden, showed evidence of a sneaky streak. The territorial chimp was already known to throw rocks at zoo visitors as part of his dominance displays. (He always missed.) Now scientists have observed Santino hiding his weapons behind logs and boulders in his enclosure, even maintaining an innocent, nonchalant air in order to get closer to visitors before launching his attack. The chimp's behavior shows a capacity to make complex plans, researchers told LiveScience.


Courtesy of Mark Rosenthal

http://www.examiner.com/article/traveler-s-choice-list-of-america-s-top-zoos

Vintage National Zoo

 Apparently keeper Weedon was a Captain?

Proposed Location for a Zoological Park Along Rock Creek « Ghosts ...

Illustrations of "Rotten Row" from a Washington newspaper sometime between 1887-1900.  

Vintage National Zoo 1913

This string of cages at the National Zoo was known as "Rotten Row."  Seems appropriate somehow.

Vintage National Zoo

Professor RJR,  what year did James E. Cooper, owner of the Adam Forepaugh Circus, donate Dunk on the right, and Gold Dust on the left to the National Zoo?

Adam Forepaugh Circus Loaned Many Rare Animals to National Zoo in 1893

By Richard J. Reynolds, III. Bandwagon, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan-Feb), 1963, p. 3.

At the close of the 1893 season, the Adam Forepaugh Circus deposited a large number of animals in the National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C. In June, 1962, Sgt. Marvin L. Jones, of the United States Army, completed a project for the National Zoo which lists every species and sub species of mammal which have been exhibited at the zoo together with the date of arrival of the first example of each. It is significant that of the Forepaugh animals, deposited at the zoo on Nov. 7, 1893, no less than 23 species were the first of their kind to be exhibited in Washington, as follows:

Rhesus monkey Ceylonese toque monkey Sooty mangabey monkey Yellow baboon Guinea baboon Spotted hyena Puma Bengal tiger Cape mountain zebra Sumatran rhinoceros Wart hog Common or Nile hippopotamus

Bactrian or two-humped camel Arabian or one-humped camel Guanaco Alpaca Axis deer Eastern waterbuck Beisa oryx antelope Gemsbok antelope Tora hartebeest White tailed gnu Blackbuck antelope

The preponderance of large hoofed mammals, particularly antelopes, illustrates a difference between the circus menagerie of that day and the ones of more recent times.

It is interesting to note the great rarity of some of these animals. The curious, little, hair-covered Sumatran rhino is so scarce that experts estimate its current wild population at no more than 100 examples. It has not been exhibited in this country since World War I. 

'RICHARD, I'LL BET YOU "POPPED A NUT" IN 2001, WHEN CINCINNATI ZOO'S ANDALAS BECAME THE FIRST SUMATRAN RHINO BORN IN CAPTIVITY IN OVER 112 YEARS(1889)  :)  WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT CAPTIVE ANIMAL HISTORY AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AND WERE A PART OF IT.'

The Cape mountain zebra was rather common in captivity at the turn of the century, but today it cannot be seen in any American or European zoo or circus. It has been reduced to a single small herd living in a preserve near the tip of South Africa. The same is true of another South African animal, the white tailed gnu.

The tora hartebeest from the Forepaugh collection is the only example of this particular kind of hartebeest ever shown in America. While not too rare in a wild state, the U. S. Department of Agriculture currently forbids the importation of wart hogs so that they are very rare in captivity.

The Adam Forepaugh show was always noted for its fine menagerie, and the 1893 edition was no exception.

Circus Wagon History

How does this wagon above, relate to "circus history?"  Was it used/owned by a circus before being repainted as a "Benson's Wild Animal Farm" wagon?

Benson's Wild Animal Farm - Google Books Result

Friends of Benson Park receive anonymous $138000 donation ...

The Circus "NO SPIN ZONE": Ghost Zoo--Benson's Wild Animal Farm

 

Circus Wagon History

Is this wagon gone, or has it been given "a coat of different color's", doctored and rehashed to many times, as to be unrecognizable?

Circus Wagon History

Is it any wonder I am so confused?????

Circus Wagon History

Are either of these wagons in existence today?

Circus Wagon History

Sarasota  1950

How many of these "elephant" wagons were there, and how many are in existence today?   Why does the wagon at the top have a large wheel in back and the wagon's below have small wheels under the undercarriage?

Are these the same wagon's from opposite side's?  If so, why two different color schemes?

Although not a baggage wagon, below is a pretty good idea of paint colors:

Baggage Wagon Color Schemes

By Gordon M. Potter. Bandwagon, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Jan-Feb), 1963, pp. 10-11.

In the last couple of years an article by Jean LeRoy and another by Don Smith appeared in the Circus Model Builders "Little Circus Wagon," in which both commented on the color of circus wagons, particularly cages and parade wagons. Probably about every flashy color has been used on these wagons by some circus in past years.

The various color schemes used on baggage wagons by different shows have interested me quite a bit, and I'm sure they have also interested many other circus fans. Am sorry I didn't write down the various colors used for the lettering, shading, striping, etc., on the different shows that I've seen, as it is difficult to recall all the details 20 or 30 years later. But will try to give some I remember and hope others interested can give additional information on the subject after this article appears.

The Tim McCoy Real Wild West Show had the bodies, running gears and wheels of their baggage wagons painted white. The lettering was blue, outlined in black. The Indian war bonnet, which was the trade mark or emblem of the show, was in blue.

For some years around 1920 and before the Sells-Floto Circus had the bodies of their baggage wagons painted white, with the lettering in red. The running gears and wheels were red with black striping and possibly some yellow striping as well. At this time their railroad cars were also white and their sub-title was "The Show Beautiful." It definitely was all of that.

In the early 1920's the John Robinson Circus painted the bodies of their baggage wagons a rich cream color (or it might be called a light yellow), lettered in red. The running gears and wheels were red, striped in black and perhaps yellow. At this time the flat cars and stock cars were also cream color, with red coaches I believe. This was a very effective color scheme and the show made a wonderful appearance either loaded or on the lot.

In the early years of the twentieth century the Great Wallace Circus used a color scheme similar to the John Robinson show just described, except that the baggage wagon bodies were a deeper, or richer yellow than the lighter cream colored wagons, as nearly as I've been able to find out at this late date.

The 1938 season gave us a greater variety in baggage wagon colors than we had seen for a good many years. We have already mentioned the white wagons of the Tim McCoy Show. Two other shows used orange for the wagon bodies, while the three remaining shows used red. R-B and Cole Bros. had white running gears and wheels, while Barnes used yellow.

In 1938 Hagenbeck-Wallace had orange bodies for the baggage wagons, lettered in medium blue with white shading. The running gears and wheels were white with red and blue striping. That same year Robbins Bros. Circus had orange bodies on the baggage wagons with white lettering, running gear and wheels, with yellow and black striping.

The Ringling-Barnum show always had the Commissary wagon painted a medium green, lettered in white with blue shading. Running gear and wheels were white with red and blue striping, the same as the other baggage wagons. Then during the last few years that R-B operated as a flat car type show, all of their cookhouse wagons used this same green for the body, as were the cages.

I've heard that some shows used a medium blue for the body with yellow lettering and running gear and wheels red with yellow and black striping, or else yellow with red and black striping. Possibly the Sparks Circus or Pawnee Bill Wild West did this. My information on these blue wagons is meager and somewhat hazy.

The most familiar color for baggage wagon bodies was red. White lettering was very common. R-B used green shading. Some shows used blue, or black and probably other colors. With this white was most often used for the running gear and wheels, striped in red and blue, or sometimes red and green. (R-B used medium blue for the inside of the wagon bodies, but I don't remember the color used on the inside for any of these other color schemes.) Besides R-B this color combination was used by Cole Bros., Christy Bros., and at various times by Sells-Floto, Hagenbeck-Wallace, John Robinson, Al G. Barnes and many other shows.

Another combination that was quite common had the body red. Lettering, running gears and wheels yellow, with black striping, and sometimes some red stripes. This combination was used in different years by S-F, H-W, J. R., and Barnes, and no doubt other shows.

I've often thought that a display of a dozen or so model circus baggage wagons painted so, that all of the above color combinations were used, and each one carrying a different one of the well known titles of the past, would make a very effective display, particularly in 1" scale. This would be a good idea for anyone who didn't have the room for an entire circus layout, or who didn't care to expend the time and work involved in making a complete circus. But no matter where his wagon display was exhibited it would be bound to create much interest among any circus fans, model builders, or just plain "towners" who saw it, I'm sure.

Whichever of the above combinations was used, the flat car type circuses were always colorful, eye-catching and a beautiful sight to behold when they came to town. They are all gone now, another victim of "progress," but they definitely are not forgotten by those fortunate enough to have seen them.

Editor's Note: Other shows using unusual baggage wagon colors included Howes Great London, 1914, yellow bodies; Forepaugh-Sells, 1911, yellow bodies with green lettering and Cole Brothers, 1949-50, orange bodies with blue lettering.

The Sells-Floto circus, while quartered in Denver, used white wagons, and during the 1915 season placed a large red dot-on either side, and did not title each wagon. The 1900 John Robinson show used some white and some red baggage wagons. The red bodies had the title in white or yellow script lettering, the white wagons had red lettering.

Other shows also used white wagons at an earlier date. The Sells Bros. Enormous United Shows used white wagons during its last seasons before combining with Adam Forepaugh. Both the Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill Wild West shows used white wagons during some seasons.

There is some question as to whether there was any red on the Tim McCoy wagons. The editor's records indicate that all lettering on the white wagons was blue outlined in black. Mr. Potter's records indicate the lettering was red and that the Indian war bonnet on each wagon also had a little red in it along with the blue and black. Perhaps some of the Bandwagon readers can verify the presence of red on the McCoy wagons.

 

Circus Wagon History--Cole Bros. "America" Update

Cole Bros. circus wagon "America" sits on a flat bed truck, near a railroad yard, awaiting transport by the Shea-Matson Machinery Mover & Millwrights company. (Photo from Wade Burck's Circus "No Spin Zone" blog)

Question.... Could this be a photo of the wagon being transported to Baraboo?

 

Steve Flint said....I'm fairly certain that you are correct in your assumption. As you know, the America was owned by Cleaver-Brooks of Milwaukee, WI before being donated to CWM.

 

The Shea-Matson Co. came about thru a 1946 merger between the Shea Drayage Co. (Racine, WI) and the Matson Co. (Kenosha, WI). They specialized in the transport and moving of heavy equipment.

 

Based on the title of the company, the vintage of the truck, and the configuration of the wagon itself, I'm betting this is the wagon being delivered to CWM Baraboo.

 

The wagon was donated to CWM in 1959.

 

More history of the transport company. In 1973 the company was purchased by Dawes Transfer (Milwaukee, WI) and became known as the Shea-Matson-Dawes Co. A few years later the name was changed to Dawes Rigging & Crane Rental. In 1978 the company was again sold to ALL Erection & Crane Rental Corp. (Cleveland, OH). The Dawes branch has 31 locations nationwide including Madison and Milwaukee.

 

Courtesy of John Goodall

Circus Wagon History--Barnum and Bailey 1909

The other day I posted this picture from 1909 asking for more information about the wagon.  Once again, Flint came through with some great history, and the additional photo's below.

Dear Wade-

 

This is in response to your question this morning concerning the name of a wagon you had posted. This wagon was called the Queen Balkis Car. It was built by the Sebastian Wagon Co. for Barnum & Bailey. It was part of a 13 wagon order placed by James A. Bailey for the "triumphal return" parade of 1903. As you probably know, the show had been in Europe since the 1898 season and returned home (to the US) in 1903.  Some of the other wagons built in this order were  Africa, Europe, America, Asia, Our Country, Two Hemispheres, Funny Folks, Golden Age of Chivalry, Fairy Tales, etc.

 

The most distinguishing feature of this wagon is the elephant tusk carvings around the upper deck. These were NOT real ivory. I believe the current disclaimer would be "no animals were harmed or killed during the production of this wagon". The wagon went thru a number of changes during its 15-20 year career. Attached are a couple of pix showing this. I believe the wagon was finally scrapped out at the old Bridgeport, CT winterquarters.

FLINT