Jumbo Statue
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
This life-sized Jumbo statue was constructed in 1985 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Jumbo's death when he was hit by a train. Jumbo was the star attraction of P.T. Barnum's travelling circus alongside his longtime trainer Matthew Scott.
Images
Jumbo Sign created for the 50th anniversary of his death by St. Thomas Metal Signs (1935).
Jumbo Statue in St. Thomas.
The contents of Jumbo's stomach at the time of his death. From the Elgin County Museum's collection.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
-Jumbo (b. ~1860) was orphaned by hunters in what is now Eritrea and was eventually sold to the Paris Zoo (Jardine des Plantes) in 1863, and then to the London Zoo in 1865. He was the first male African elephant to be exhibited in Europe.
-His lifelong trainer and companion was Matthew Scott.
-He began exhibiting violent behaviour in the early 1880s, destroying his enclosure.
-P.T. Barnum bought Jumbo from the zoo for 2000 pounds to be used in his travelling circus. Matthew Scott went with jumbo and was hired by Barnum.
-Jumbo became the circus' star attraction and travelled all over the eastern USA and Canada, in his own railway car.
-He was killed by a freight train on Sept. 15 1885 while being taken down the track of the Grand Trunk Railway. Jumbo tried to outrun the train, but was caught and crushed against the side of a circus train boxcar.
-His death drew a huge crowd. A taxidermist arrived to skin Jumbo and clean his bones, both of which where then exhibited. His stomach was also cut-open and revealed a number of strange items inside.
-Jumbo became a household name and was used on many products.
-The monument in St. Thomas was created by New Brunswick sculptor Winston Bronum and marked the 100th anniversary of the accident in 1985.
-There is also a historical plaque located at the actual site of Jumbo's death on the west side of Woodworth Ave, north of the railway tracks (~ 105 Woodworth Ave).