Fact or Fiction

Today I am posting to tell you a tale, a very TALL tale, the tale of 'Cranbrook Ed' the one and only wild BC Elephant...


The Story:
Charlie Ed was a small African elephant born in the wild in 1910. He ran away from his Mother and younger sister when times got to tough to became part of the Sells-Floto Circus in 1922, earning a living doing tricks. Life was tough for the young elephant and in the summer of 1926, when the circus traveled to Cranbrook and on August 6th, fourteen elephants, including Charlie Ed, started a revolt over poor working conditions and escaped the circus train into the surrounding forest and down the Canadian Pacific right-of-way. An unusual telegraph message was sent over the wires following thier escape asking all trains heading east to keep a lookout for elephants on the tracks and report their location if seen. When the circus owners offered rewards for the capture of the unruly elephants, the first and only elephant hunt Cranbrook has ever seen was on, and the news spread around the world.

Most of the elephants were quickly re-captured but Charlie Ed and another elephant, rumored to be the young elephants girlfriend Myrtle were still on the loose. Myrtle was found in mid-August but, because of her poor condition didn't make it. Charlie Ed, however remained at large for awhile longer until on September 14th, when his hideout was finally discovered near Jim Smith Lake, about six kilometers southwest of Cranbrook. His trainer reported that Charlie Ed was thinner but still in fine shape and although Charlie and the other elephants had been caught the global publicity helped earn them a better life with the Circus.

Charlie Ed was brought back into town where a celebration followed. He received a last breakfast as a free elephant before he was reinstated into the circus and was then led through the streets of downtown Cranbrook, with one photo opportunity after another. To mark the occasion, Mayor T.M. Roberts and the circus owners re-christened Charlie Ed, declairing his name henceforth to be Cranbrook Ed. An to this day a Statue of this young elephant sits at the entrance of this small BC town to make sure no one forgets the elephants that were lost and what he fought for.

Well that is my tale for the day, hope you all enjoyed it but what do you think, is Cranbrook Ed just another TALL tale on this particular day or is there a shred of truth to this tale... You tell me ;)


Later Days