12: ELEPHANT BRIDGE: Wonder, Cruelty, and the First Elephants in America

Episode Source Material: (Research for this episode turned up a lot of inconsistent dates and references to elephants by different names, ages, heights, weights, etc.--there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on where the Crowninshield elephant ended up or if Old Bet was the first or second elephant in America. I did my best to reference only the most apparently legitimate sources in my storytelling, but recognize that opinions differ on some details.)The First Living Elephant in AmericaMemorial to Betty the Learned Elephant – Glocester, Rhode IslandOff The Path Revisited: The Elephant ManAn Elephant is Murdered in Chepachet in 1826 - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryBetty The Learned ElephantElephant Shot In Chepachet – 1826Walking Tour Chepachet, RIAmerican Heritage | Setting the Record Straight on Old BetThe Crowninshield ElephantThe First Living Elephant in AmericaA PACHYDERM'S TALEOld BetAmerican Circus Anthology, Traveling MenagerieThe Elephant Comes to AmericaKilling the Elephant: Murderous Beasts and the Thrill of RetributionTown of Somers History Beasts and Ballyhoo Menagerie Men of SomersAmerica’s Big Circus Spectacular Has a Long and Cherished HistoryOld Bet: The first circus elephant brought to the US was killed by a religious fanaticRANDOM NOTES ON THE HISTORY OF THE EARLY AMERICAN CIRCUSNever Forget - Down EastYear Without a SummerWas America’s First Circus Elephant in Haverhill?Elephants in the (Reading) Room