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St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada: Life-Size Jumbo the Elephant, He Died Here

A statue memorializes the most famous elephant of the 19th century, who died when he was hit by a train.

Address:
Talbot St., St. Thomas, ON, Canada
Directions:
West edge of town. On the north side of Talbot St., next to a caboose. Just east of Hwy 4 and north of the train tracks.
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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Visitor Tips and News About Life-Size Jumbo the Elephant, He Died Here

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Jumbo the Elephant statue.

Jumbo the Elephant

Jumbo was a 12-foot tall elephant from the Sudan in Africa. He was exported to France in 1863 and then to the London Zoo in 1865. In 1882 he was sold to the Barnum and Bailey Circus, and he traveled around the US and Canada on a specially built carriage. On Sept. 15, 1885, the circus was performing in St. Thomas and after the show, Jumbo was hit by an oncoming train and killed.

As a memorial the town of St. Thomas built a life size statue of Jumbo, which we visited.

[Sumoflam, 04/10/2008]
Jumbo the Elephant statue

St. Thomas is where Jumbo died. So they put a big statue up to him there. It's big. The statue is in a small roadside park in the town. It's open all the time. There's a big plaque that talks about Jumbo. St. Thomas is just south of London Ontario. The main route is the 401.

[Dale Rieck, 04/14/2002]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Full-Size Submarine in a Tiny TownFull-Size Submarine in a Tiny Town, Port Burwell, ON, Canada - 22 mi.
Springbank Snow Countess: Famous CowSpringbank Snow Countess: Famous Cow, Woodstock, ON, Canada - 35 mi.
Town Proud of Its NameTown Proud of Its Name, Shakespeare, ON, Canada - 45 mi.
In the region:
USA's Tallest Our Lady of Guadalupe, Windsor, OH - 84 mi.

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