In normal conditions this would be a rough trip, especially for temperature-sensitive giraffes, which were placed in crates and forced to endure whatever the high seas threw at them. It is history that deserves your help! Traveling shows displayed them as early as 1837; however, they were difficult to capture and transport, making them expensive to procure. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge was inspired by the true story of two giraffes in 1938 that "survived a hurricane at sea, then were driven cross-country for 12 days in little more than a tricked-out pickup truck to become the first giraffes in Southern California." Non censuram. *Estimated delivery dates - opens in a new window or tab include seller's handling time, origin ZIP Code, destination ZIP Code and time of acceptance and will depend on shipping service selected and receipt of cleared payment. giraffes - Find news stories, facts, pictures and video about giraffes - Page 1 | Newser } She was right. On September 21, 1938, one of the most destructive and powerful hurricanes in recorded history struck Long Island and Southern New England. Good story line well written. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. All Wildlife. Lofty and Patches lived at the San Diego Zoo for nearly 30 years. But by 1925 there were reportedly only five giraffes in the entire country. After three days of being fed pancakes (and the giraffes are indeed fed pancakes at one point in the novel), she mustered up the energy to pull herself up. The storm soaked an unknown number of pants. [], [] From the New England Historical Society: [], [] 1938 New England Hurricane upended the outhouse at the Israel Putnam farm, and no one seems to have restored it. Sign up for the Wisconsin Historical Society Newsletter, 1996-2023 Wisconsin Historical Society, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706, Giraffe Transport with International D-40 Truck | Photograph | Wisconsin Historical Society, International Harvester Company : Photo albums, circa 1899-1965, William Donahey's Teenie Weenies - Image Gallery Essay, Breweries, Beer and Bars in Wisconsin History - Image Gallery Essay, Men stand around an International D-40 truck used to transport two giraffes. . Smith, who was quick to express his affection for Lofty--the giraffe that didnt kick him--directed that his crate be the first to be unloaded by the whirring, grinding, chug-chugging crane. display: none; The 45-mile drive from Brooklyn to the quarantine facility through flooded and debris-ridden streets, avoiding potentially low-rise overpasses, was certainly a true test of how the giraffes might handle a drive across the country, which in fact had never been done before with the towering creatures. Giraffes Proud Parents at the San Diego Zoo. Los Angeles Times (August 28, 1952): 15. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Giraffes, rhinos, and more! With Woody behind the wheel, true to the actual events, the giraffe truck stopped regularly at auto camps under appropriate trees with the top of the crates open to let Boy and Girl reach up and browse. Browse all issues of Life Magazine in full color and search the full text through Google Books. Explore Jim Widmer's photographs of the Friday fish fry dinner tradition in Wisconsin. Even up there the damage was great. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration. Benchley also once caught a rattlesnake by grabbing it by the back of the head. The book was wonderful and reading this was the icing on the cake! float: right; InNew Hampshire, fire destroyed four buildings in Peterborough and wind blew down part of the Cog Railway on Mount Washington. HURRICANE GIRAFFES TO QUARANTINE. even Maggie the orangutan. On board the ship were some unique passengers: two Giraffes. Local Woman Names Newly Arrived Giraffes. Escondido (CA) Times-Advocate (October 28, 1938): 6. San Diego Zoo's timeline is best viewed on a desktop. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. At times, he spoke with folksie colloquialisms and the next sentence seemed to be constructed with the aid of a thesaurus. She had red curls all over her head, a fiery halo of raging waves she surely battled into submission every morning, and she was wearing trousersthe first woman Id ever seen doing so in real life. Just when Woody thought this crazy girl had stopped following them, the green Packard would come roaring into view. "As the country teeters between a depression and Europe's looming war, a pair of giraffes, survivors of a hurricane at sea, left a wake of much-needed cheer while driven cross-country to the San Di. In 1938, two giraffes were transported by boat to New York, then by trailer to the San Diego Zoo. Lofty and Patches became national figures when they made the last lap of the journey from south eastern Africa a transcontinental trip from New York by truck. If youd like to read about a wild ride one family took during the storm, click. Imagine waves so severe that a rhino is tossed overboard. https://www.thetiebar.com/?utm_campaign=BowtieLove&utm_medium=YouTube&utm_source=LanceGeiger. 2.5 stars, *When reading this, one will develop an strong urge to head to the nearest zoo and see giraffes (maybe even feed them; you can at the Colorado Zoo!)*. 'jetpack-lazy-images-js-enabled' West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. 1938 hurricane giraffes . Rhode Island got the worst of it. So, although he cant speak, falls out of his wheelchair, isnt eating, he commits this story in sprawling detail to the pages of notebooks. I remember my mother saying she got the last bus out of downtown Providence go home to Jenkins St I think they were living there then. Another awesome animal book! It's 1938. View this selection of cartoons by William Donahey. Rutledge, Lynda. They also turned a profit for the first time in the zoos 22-year history. They never have kept house together before, and just o make sure they do not kick the daylights out of each otherand make the Zoos $7500 investment worth no more than the current quotation on dead giraffesthe animals were shown to separate apartments for the time being. My grandpa later worked on a boat called Allert I have a picture of him on it in the 50s I think. color: #3AAA11 !important; By 4 pm, one of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes ever to hit Southern New England made landfall between Bridgeport andNew Haven, Conn. Great 1938 hurricane storm surge. .printfriendly.pf-alignright { Sweet memories. A giraffe's heart is 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and its lungs can hold 12 gallons (55 liters) of air! The Great 1938 Hurricane crossed over the tip of Long Island, slammed into New London and raced up the Connecticut River Valley at 50 miles per hour. . A San Diego judge had a defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Schroeder was a former zoo veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo and would later become the zoos director after Benchley retired in 1953. 1947. display: none; Woodrow Wilson Nickel, aka Woody Nickel, almost 18, happens to be on a New York dock in 1938 when the hurricane-battered SS Robin Goodfellow limps into the harbor. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California's first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. It is clear from Belle Benchleys memoir that she had a wonderful relationship with many of her keepers, particularly Charley Smith. Three improbable protagonists take it upon themselves to transport two giraffes, that survived a 1938 hurricane at the end of their trans-Atlantic crossing, in a trans-continental adventure from New York to San Diego. I would give this book ten stars if possible. In 1938, the merchant steamer SS Robin Goodfellow was caught in the Great New England Hurricane. Apparently they subsisted on pancakes that the cook made for them for three days until they got to shore. You can purchase the bow tie worn in this episode at The Tie Bar: https://www.thetiebar.com/?utm_campaign=BowtieLove\u0026utm_medium=YouTube\u0026utm_source=LanceGeigerAll events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. Clinics then ran out of typhoid vaccine. They were to be the zoos first giraffes, and the city was excited about the impending arrivals. This improbable, but fact-based, story of two giraffes transported cross country in what was basically an over-balanced flatbed truck made me laugh, cry. This is a good book for the whole family to read. Copyright 2023 The History Guy. The 1938 hurricane was the worst natural disaster in American history a gale that wreaked more death and havoc than either the great Chicago fire or the San Francisco earthquake. Little did anyone now that in September 1938, during the final few days of their trip, these animals bound for San Diego would encounter what was then the most devastating hurricane to hit the upper East Coast, killing nearly 700 people. . Awesome The History Guy merchandise is available at: With thanks to The Great Hurricane: 1938 by Cherie Burns. } Afterward, the hurricane left only three. My mom was 16 and lived in New Bedford on Acusnet ave.(not sure of the spelling) with her mom and dad. This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. The hurricane also tossed the lighthouse tender Tulip, pictured above, ashore. The National [], The Great 1938 Hurricane, A Once-In-A-Lifetime Storm, Cherie Burns. They prepared to transport the animals across the country to San Diego, in the tall, oddly shaped crates that had been custom built for the purpose. He has often bragged, When the Missus gets tired of waiting for me to write she just burns up the wires. Nothing worked until, after a couple of hours, he tried an onion. Animal Quarantine Station in Athenia, New Jersey, for a federally mandated fifteen-day quarantine. One question I have, since way back in the early sixties I was licked on the nose by a giraffe at the San Diego Zoo. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. They were given names Lofty and Patches, the winning entries in a naming contest. The hurricane chewed away at roadbeds, like Shore Drive in Winthrop, Mass., above. Told through the memory of an aged veteran, the story is set against the background of the Dust Bowl, the Depression and the advent of a World War. There the family stepped back on to land and back into their lives. i guess this is supposed to build up suspense and have the reader on the edge of their seat, waiting with bated breath for the secret to be revealed. display: none; No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. He tried alfalfa and molasses. As one of the most costly hurricanes to hit the U.S. mainland, it caused damage later estimated at $308 million. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to become Southern California's first giraffes. In all, 10 people clung to that bit of floor as it hurtled across the Sound to land in Connecticut. For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model: Common questions about purchasing historical images from the Wisconsin Historical Society. Next thing I knew, we were floating, Moore recalled. San Diego, CA: Zoological Society of San Diego.

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