The Elephant Under Dillon

About this episode

The episode explores the story of an elephant struck by lightning and buried in Dillon, focusing on the obsession of a local teacher to remember and display its bones.

Everyone from Dillon knows about the elephant struck by lightning and buried on the spot in what’s now the fairgrounds. But few are as obsessed with telling and remembering the story of Old Pit as Jack Kirkley, who taught for many years at the college there. He thought it would be a good idea to dig up the bones and display Dillon’s elephant in a history museum, but he found out others might dig him up one day if he tried that. Pit came by circus train to Dillon and never left. This is her story. Reported and narrated by Jacob Baynham, alum of UM Journalism and current Adjunct Professor there See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Jad Abumrad, Jule Banville

Guest: Jacob Baynham

Topics covered

• history
• local legends
• elephants
• Dillon
• circus
• memory

Keywords

• elephant
• Dillon
• Jack Kirkley
• Old Pit
• lightning
• history museum
• circus train

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Old Pit

Places: Dillon

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