The Incredible Story Of Modoc The Elephant

When I made the photo above I just thought that it was a cool older ad on the side of a building. Later I would realize that the Bradley Brothers store in Wabash was part of an amazing story. In 1942 the Great American Circus was getting ready to put on a show at Wabash High School. A dog spooked the three circus elephants causing them to get loose. Two of them stayed near the high school, but Modoc the elephant charged into downtown Wabash. The elephant ran down the streets of the town before smelling the roasted peanuts inside of the Bradleys store. It smashed through the front door and found the peanut roaster. It ate its share of peanuts and then smashed through the back door of the store. It was on the loose for five days total before finally being captured. It crossed the Wabash River multiple times and lost over 800 pounds.

The Stories Of Each Town

Wabash is a town that already has a great story for itself. Its claim to fame is that it is the first city in the world to be lit with electricity. The story of Modoc is another part of that history of the town. Part of what is fun about traveling and stopping in these little towns is finding these little stories. The are not all as good as a runaway elephant storming through town, but they can be interesting.