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Elephant, Mammoth & Mastodon Statues (page 3)

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Lucy the Elephant
Margate City, NJ
Lucy the Elephant was built in 1881 by James V. Lafferty, a real estate developer. The 65-foot-tall elephant was created as a tourist attraction and contained his office and a restaurant. The howdah, a covered passenger platform on Lucy's back, served as an observation deck. Lafferty had planned to build giant fish and birds as well.

Lucy was modeled after P.T. Barnum's circus elephant, Jumbo. She is made of wood, concrete and sheet metal. It is not known how Lucy got her name. Technically speaking, she is not anatomically correct since only male elephants have tusks.

In 1887, Lafferty ran into financial trouble and sold Lucy. The new owners purchased the minaret-topped Turkish Pavilion from the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia and reconstructed it behind Lucy. That building was converted into the "Elephant Hotel". Later, the owners began using Lucy as a tavern. Lucy was badly damaged by a flood in 1962 and became so dilapidated that she was condemned. She was donated to the City of Margate. When the property on which she was located was sold to developers, Lucy was nearly demolished. She was moved two blocks away to this location in 1970 and restored. There is a museum inside the structure with maritime artifacts and items pertaining to Lucy's history. Lucy is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2021, Lucy's skin was being replaced with new siding and scaffolding was erected. It is expected to be completed in 2022. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. [map]

Another elephant, the Light of Asia, was built in Cape May, NJ in 1884. This 40-foot-tall elephant was modeled after Lucy by another real estate developer. It was not maintained and demolished in 1900.

In 1884, Lafferty began building the Colossal Elephant in Coney Island, NY. Lafferty went heavily into debt during its construction and sold Lucy to stay afloat. The Coney Island elephant cost $250,000 to build and stood 125 feet tall. The structure had 31 hotel rooms. One of her legs housed a cigar store, another had a diorama, and the two others contained circular staircases. The elephant offered visitors views of the ocean through slits in the elephant's eyes. At night, searchlights flashed from her eyes. This elephant was advertised as the 8th Wonder of the World. However, it was destroyed by fire in 1896.

The French liked Lafferty's elephants so much that they built their own enormous elephant pavilion at the Universal Exhibition of 1889. It was later moved to the Moulin Rouge where you could see belly dancers inside. This elephant was torn down when the Moulin Rouge was rebuilt in 1906.

More Elephants:
Tuscaloosa, AL
Tuscaloosa, AL
Gotha, FL
Jacksonville, FL [map]
North Miami Beach, FL [map]
Safety Harbor, FL
Gainesville, GA [map]
Leon, IA
Malta, IL
Villa Park, IL
Wabash, IN
Metairie, LA
Medford, MA [gone]
Medford, MA [map]
Belfast, ME [vintage; gone]
Las Cruces, NM
Rochester, NY
Somers, NY
Mentor, OH
Harborcreek, PA
Myrtle Beach, SC
Cookeville, TN [gone]
Johnson City, TN [gone]
Pioneer, TN [gone]
Houston, TX
Seattle, WA
Wheeling, WV [map]
St. Thomas, ON
Granby, QC
Camberley, England
Greece

Woolly Mammoth
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Woolly Mammoth
Orlando, FL
The Woolly Mammoth in Mammoth Lakes was created by Douglas Van Howd and installed in 1990. The sculpture is life-sized and made of bronze. [map]

The Woolly Mammoth in Orlando is installed at the long-closed Volcano Island Mini Golf. [map]

Woolly Mammoth
Williamsburg, MI
This Woolly Mammoth sculpture is located in front of Guntzviller's Taxidermy and Spirit of the Woods Museum. She is named Morgana. Her body is covered with steel wool and scrap metal. A smaller Woolly Mammoth, her son, is named Joseph and is or was located at the Mistwood Golf Course in Lake Ann, MI. These sculptures were part of Artprize 2010 in Grand Rapids. They were created by Richard Schemm. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Columbian Mammoths
Lubbock, TX
This pair of Columbian Mammoth sculptures are installed at the Lubbock Lake Landmark. The mother and calf were created by Michael O'Brien in 1999. [map]

Woolly Mammoths
Cincinnati, OH
These Woolly Mammoths were previously installed in front of the Museum of Natural History in Cincinnati. The male and female mammoths were created by Neil Deaton in 1980 as part of the museum's Ice Age exhibit. The baby mammoths were created soon after that. In 2001, the statues were moved to several locations around town. They are now installed in front of the Cincinnati Museum Center's Geier Collections & Research Center. [map]

Woolly Mammoth
Hot Springs, SD
This Woolly Mammoth is located at the Mammoth Site. Mammoth bones were found at the site in 1974. A plywood enclosure was built around the site in 1975. In 1980, the site officially opened as a museum. This statue may have been installed then. It has been there since at last 2008. There is also a life-sized sculpture inside the museum. [map]

There is another Woolly Mammoth being built in Hot Springs by Gary DuChateau. it will be 50 feet long. [map]

Lupe the Mammoth
San Jose, CA
This 12.5 feet tall, steel pipe sculpture of Lupe the Mammoth was created by Freya Bardell and Brian Howe in 2015. The inspiration was the discovery of a mammoth skeleton in 2005 in the Guadalupe River near where the sculpture is installed. [map]

More Woolly Mammoths:
Urbana, IL
Hysham, MT
DeRuyter, NY
Horicon, WI
Worland, WY
Kyle, SK
Whitehorse, YT

Mastodons
Aurora, IL
This Mastodon and slide are located at Phillips Park. Mastodon bones were discovered on the site in 1934. I believe the statue and slide were installed in 2000.

More Mastodons:
Fort Wayne, IN [map]
Muskegon, MI
Sharonville, OH [map]

Elephants, Mammoths & Mastodons
(page 1)
Elephants, Mammoths & Mastodons
(page 2)
Animal Statues Main Page