Leon, Iowa: Old Elephant Statue
A lumpy-looking life-size outdoor elephant was originally custom-built in Chicago in the early 1950s.
- Address:
- N. Main St., Leon, IA
- Directions:
- Downtown. On the east side of N. Main St. just north of its intersection with Hwy 2/E. 1st St.
- Admission:
- Free
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Visitor Tips and News About Old Elephant Statue
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The elephant is still there, still lumpy, and perhaps in need of a coat of paint. This past weekend he was wearing a cap and gown and celebrating the local high school graduates.
[Tom Cooper, 05/21/2017]
The elephant is still in Leon, but it's just south of the town square by the Historic Leon sign and the commemorative sign about the Jefferson Highway. He is now wearing a Good Luck shamrock.
[KLF, 02/25/2017]
I was given the history of this sculpture by an extremely friendly local. The elephant was built as an exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Natural History in 1952. The previous owner of the Dairy Queen purchased the sculpture and shipped it by train to Leon to attract business and people to Leon from the old highway. The highway has moved, and when the Dairy Queen relocated to a new building, it moved the elephant too.
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