Nothing worked until, after a couple of hours, he tried an onion. Giraffes at Lion Country Safari remained outdoors and kept their heads down during Hurricane Irma. body.custom-background { background-color: #505050; } Start your day off right, with a Dayspring Coffee https://teespring.com/stores/the-history-guy. Please send suggestions for future episodes: Suggestions@TheHistoryGuy.net. Recently, one particular work of historical fiction captured my interestthe fact that the title contained the word giraffes certainly helped, but upon reading the description I discovered that its based on actual events revolving around the San Diego Zoo in 1938. The blurb describes this book so accurately, that I don't want to repeat it. It's 1938. 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. The narrator is the orphan, now 100 years old and nearing death, who has decided that he cant let the story die with him. A San Diego judge had a defendants 13-year-old daughter handcuffed. Thank you again. [] department store employees could be fiercely loyal. padding: 0; In 1938, 2 hurricanes survived the Great Hurricane and needed to be transported across the US from NY to the San Diego Zoo. InNew Hampshire, fire destroyed four buildings in Peterborough and wind blew down part of the Cog Railway on Mount Washington. http://www.philbowie.com, [] The Great Hurricane of 1938destroyed nearly all the buildings in the seaside village of Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, R.I. [], [] Great 1938 Hurricane created several ghost towns along the coast. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to become Southern California's first giraffes. My sister passed it on to me and knew Id enjoy it. font-size: 14px !important; display: inline; Woody Nickel is 105 years old when he hears the news that giraffes may be going extinct. That isn't much compared to what Hurricane Harvey did to Houston last month, dumping up to 50 inches of rain, but our hills and narrow valleys channel the water, producing much . I have some books printed the next year , with 100s of picture , tv, nh, ri, and ct I have a book for each. West with Giraffes. Giraffes Will Ride in Truck to California. Miami Herald (September 25, 1938): 4. Homeless refugees crammed into town halls, armories and fire stations. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. In 1938, the merchant steamer SS Robin Goodfellow was caught in the Great New England Hurricane. At one point in the novel, Old Man stops at the zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas, for the night to procure some medication for Girls wounded leg. The hurricane wiped away entire communities, altered the shoreline of Long Island, washed away bridges, severed train service between New York and Boston and between cities in Connecticut and Rhode Island. It brought down 20,000 miles of power and telephone lines. I remember water lines painted on telco poles along the Merrimack river. The Great 1938 Hurricane inflicted tremendous damage on shipping. In The Zoo. Riley Jones is hired to handle the giraffes and get them across the country. Write by: . He remembered the 38, too! I finished the book last night and now after reading the background and seeing the pictures of the truck and the Orphaned during the Dust Bowl, he found his way to New York to work for a distant cousin. Amanda Heidt | Mar 19, 2021 | 5 min read. It was a wonderful novel. Not a favorite. .pf-button.pf-button-excerpt { Two giraffes (later to be called Lofty and Patches) travelled to New York surviving a hurricane at sea. -webkit-box-shadow: none; Also, it's well researched with a "Historical Notes" section at the end that's informative and the research is never heavy-handed within the text. img.pf-button-img + .pf-button-text { ); I headed to San Diego and their new zoo, where Id heard that the animals get treated better than the people. The giraffes arrival made the front page of The San Diego Union, Oct. 25, 1938. Prior to becoming head keeper at the San Diego Zoo, he had been with the circus since he was eleven years old, including sixteen-year gig as the lead keeper of the Ringling Bros. circus. Fred Ghent and Ray Sheldon were honest men who made a mistake. The great hurricane of 1938, which hit on September 21, was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869. 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(And New York would not experience one as destructive until Hurricane Sandy in 2012.) The National [], The Great 1938 Hurricane, A Once-In-A-Lifetime Storm, Cherie Burns. Aftermath of the Great 1938 Hurricane in Hartford, Conn. Photo licensed under public domain by Wikipedia Commons. could that giraffe have been a descendant of Lofty and Patches? Day and Night. The "Teenie Weenies" cartoons enchanted readers of all ages for more than 50 years. Inspiration struck, and the result is this charming and wondrous enchantment of a novel. Lofty and Patches. San Diego Zoo: 100 Years. 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." As a book junkie, when I receive new book alerts I almost always peruse the titles. Copyright 2023 The History Guy. Of course, I knew your zoo history background already, so I was delighted to see your additions to this beautiful story. Smith stayed with the giraffes during their time in quarantine, sleeping beside their stalls, nursing the females injury, and getting to know these towering creatures of Gods pure Eden. After their quarantine was complete, it was time to load the giraffes into their custom-made, heavily padded 12 8 crates, which were large enough for the giraffes to lie down on piles of peat moss and straw. HURRICANE GIRAFFES TO QUARANTINE. They talked about the bridges that had washed away. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I was 7 yrs old and I remember getting out of school late afternoon. 22 (Evening special edition). Those Giraffes, caught in a storm that killed hundreds of people, were en route to San Diego, California, and the storm was only the beginning of their cross-country journey. The storm, which originated near the Cape Verde Islands and had previously intensified to a Category 5 hurricane near the Bahamas, pummeled Southern New England with sustained hurricane-force winds and caused . -moz-box-shadow: none; My grandparents were on their honeymoon and when they returned to Salem, CT from Niagra Falls, the whole region was in disarray. Those Giraffes, caught in a storm that killed hundreds of people, were en route to San Diego, California, and the storm was only the beginning of their cross-country journey.Show more, Check out our new community for fans and supporters! They were given names Lofty and Patches, the winning entries in a naming contest. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! Perhaps you will fall in love with those giraffes and enjoy the adventures of Old Man and Woody as much as I did. 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. : https://thehistoryguyguild.locals.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryGuyYT/Please send suggestions for future episodes: Suggestions@TheHistoryGuy.net. The Great 1938 Hurricane pushed the Tulip onto land. } There is not a man now on the animal staff who is not in the work because he would rather be in it than anywhere else in the world, and because he feels that his contribution is important to the Zoo and to the community. According to Ken Stott, a former San Diego Zoo curator, . After examination and treatment, Schroeder deemed the giraffe worth saving and cleared her to make the trip. It's also a coming of age story that demonstrates the positive influence caring friends and gentle animals can have on a young man's life. Our giraffe habitat lets you get amazingly close to these tremendously tall creatures. The three older kids were in school and my mom had to get them out to go home. On board the ship were some unique passengers: two Giraffes. 2016. Red paper hearts, ribbons and Kewpie dolls were just the thing for Valentines Day entertaining 100 years ago. It was a three-hour ordeal. In all, 10 people clung to that bit of floor as it hurtled across the Sound to land in Connecticut. Smith lured him with an acacia branch. The country had endured a Great Depression, filling the landscape with Hoovervilles and shantytowns, WPA and CCC projects, and migrants searching for a better life. 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. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. My 92 year old father is still talking about it, Our summer house is in Misquamicut which was wiped out. September 22, 1938. She also had a vocabulary that she kept in reserve that the [former] circus men could understand. The keepers came to call her Boss. She let them know that she admired their work, and responded to her with both respect and affection. Generous contributions from supporters allow The History Guy team to continue creating the snippets of forgotten history that have been seen by viewers all around the world. Getting the giraffes from Kenya to California was a monumental task, especially once the ship they were on encountered the Great Hurricane of 1938. As the country teeters between a depression and Europes 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 Diego Zoo, where lady zoo director Mrs. Belle Benchley awaited. San Diego Zoo. With thanks to The Great Hurricane: 1938 by Cherie Burns. San Diego, CA: Zoological Society of San Diego. Subscribe for more forgotten history: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4sEmXUuWIFlxRIFBRV6VXQ?sub_confirmation=1. The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. It's harder to imagine hauling two of them across the United States during the Dust Bowl. Im so happy that I found this website to answer my questions about this great book. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. Lofty and Patches lived at the San Diego Zoo for nearly 30 years and had seven offspring, including Raffy, D-Day (born June 6, 1946), Rusty, Patty and Lofty Jr. From The San Diego Union, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 1938: alive and kickingaccent on kicking--the two much-heralded animals that blazed a publicity trail across the continent were unloaded in San Diego zoo yesterday. According to the National Weather Service,a storm surge of 12 to 15 feet destroyed most coastal homes, yacht clubs and marinas on Narragansett Bay. I want to confirm my idea that Woody was the father of little Augie, who was the one who received his foot locker after his death with the porcelain gifaffe. .printfriendly a, .printfriendly a:link, .printfriendly a:visited, .printfriendly a:hover, .printfriendly a:active { . Two-thirds of the boats in New Bedford Harbor sank. too many authors seems to be using this idea and with this book it definitely did not work for me. The 130-foot storm-ravaged cargo ship finally reached soggy and mangled Brooklyn on September 23. February 27, 2023 alexandra bonefas scott No Comments . The family moved first to the second floor and finally to the third floor to stay above the storm surge, watching as house after house succumbed and neighbors were washed away. After loading the giraffes onto the truck, they headed to the U.S. Eighty-mile-an-hour winds lashed the coast and the torrential downpour caused rivers and streams to overflow. Charlestown, R.I., lost a bit more: 160 out of 200 homes were annihilated. Photo courtesy Archives and Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries. Amazingly, one of the crew saw the female giraffe move, so they covered and protected her as the storm raged on. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Its closest relative is the okapi. San Diego, CA: Zoological Society of San Diego. The first giraffes could be seen in Central Park in 1872 and in Philadelphia in 1874, and the first baby giraffe in captivity was born in Cincinnati in 1889. . In the eastern part of the state, a fire started in Newport among fallen timber from the 1938 hurricane around Tonomy [], [] This story was updated in 2019. Making The History Guy takes time, effort, and equipment. Train travel did not allow that freedom. Thank you for such an amazing story! In New London, Conn., high waters pushed a five-masted ship, Marsala,into a warehouse and started a fire that demolished a quarter-mile section of the citys business district. Thank you for sharing it the magic of googling. She was right. My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a review e-copy of this one. document.documentElement.classList.add( ship I am getting all chocked up and tearing ..I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH ! Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. On the other side of the pond, Hitler was invading Eastern Europe, so the combined stress of world events and personal troubles were briefly assuaged by the sight of the traveling giraffes. I loved this book from the first page to the very last. } This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Ever wonder why beer is so popular in Wisconsin? All rights reserved. He called me pickle puss and remembered me when I brought my 4 children to meet him. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Wisconsin history is full of breweries and beer. If youd like to read about a wild ride one family took during the storm, click here. That was the plan, anyway, but the female giraffe had had enough of travel crates! A woman stands on the running board of an International D-40 truck to feed a captive giraffe in transport. All received the Gold Lifesaving Medal, the Coast Guards highest honor, for extreme and [], [] frequently visiting her familys summer home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. As a travel writer she loved the idea of a road trip. Good book! They are inside a large wooden crate on the back of the truck which is in a building. So preciousIt reminded me of my days at the St Louis Zoo and Bill Ross the elephant man. The hurricane blew the house pictured above onto railroad tracks. Smith spent a few days easing her into the crate while attempting not to spook her, and getting kicked in return. Baby Giraffes from Africa Reach San Diego Zoo. Los Angeles Times (October 27, 1938): 14. the rig, the Old Man, and the giraffes were more homeand more familythan any home Id ever had. . Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2021). Funny in many parts. Traveling shows displayed them as early as 1837; however, they were difficult to capture and transport, making them expensive to procure. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. West with Giraffes is an endearing, and also heart-rending piece of historical fiction. . text-decoration: none; San Diego's Hurricane Giraffes | In 1938, the merchant steamer SS Robin Goodfellow was caught in the Great New England Hurricane. The first part of their journey involved sailing aboard a ship from Africa. But was he proud of the two beautiful animals! San Diego Zoo's timeline is best viewed on a desktop. So all in all, it's really well done: a great escape, completely enjoyable, and if you are an animal lover who cares about animal rights and avoiding the final sixth extinction, you'll be especially satisfied. .fun to weave the book with your stellar research! The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Sold! 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. abbvie ceo richard gonzalez wife; how far is haddonfield, illinois from chicago How do you mess up a story about two giraffes, an orphaned boy, a hurricane, and a cross country trip? During that time they had seven offspring, including aptly named D-Day, born June 6, 1944. San Diego Zoo keeper Charley Smith and driver Ed Seuss were also at the dock, having made their way to New York to collect the giraffes. I felt safe when I arrived at my house. The book was wonderful and reading this was the icing on the cake! The events of the twelve-day cross-country drive are difficult to decipher outside of what Smith revealed to journalists and The Boss Lady. He did not keep a journal, so Lynda Rutledge takes creative license to fill in the blanks for us. even Maggie the orangutan. Her writing is clever and imaginative. 11 2 Reply Im going to include a part of the blurb that enticed me to listen to this wonderful audiobook: From the beginning, this remembrance of a few short weeks of one mans life captured both my attention and my heart. My Dad lived through this storm in Westport Mass. Melanie says: In 1938, two giraffes bound for the San Diego zoo survived a hurricane at sea and a cross-country trip by truck. I learned to expect it, he said yesterday, but I never learned to like it.. Now get that head back in its hole, ignore those know nothing scientists, and relax. After 12 days, before it could reach the Bahamas, it turned northward, skimming the East. Marianne Williamson begins longshot 2024 challenge to Biden, A SoCal cocaine kingpin will do way less time behind bars than anticipated, Proposed bills could lead to more people being forced into mental health treatment, Column: Padres struggles renew rumors of poltergeists in Peoria, San Diego Sports Curse, Padres notes: Juan Soto to be held out of weekend games; veteran pitcher Julio Teheran makes push, Appreciation: David Lindley, dead at 78, an arresting music great who was nearly arrested on stage in San Diego. West with Giraffes, a novel by Lynda Rutledge, gripped my attention from beginning to end. Amid advertisements for California Fig Syrup and Hoods Sarsaparilla, a glowing 1898 profile of the community of La Mesa by a writer using the initials, J.W., Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. Narrator: On September 4, 1938, a French meteorologist in the Sahara noted winds moving west toward the African coast and the Atlantic Ocean.Two weeks later, these winds -- now at hurricane force . Im so glad you enjoyed it! In the novel, Woody is able to stop chasing the truck as, after much begging and pleading, he is offered the driving job by Old Man after a falling out with Earl. Check out our new community for fans and supporters! While hiding out at the barn in Athenia, Woody does his own acquainting with the giraffessneaking into the paddock to feed them apples and onions, and checking on the injured girl. 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! West with Giraffes is a Lovely Book based on real life events, about an orphaned teenager who ends up driving two giraffes across the USA to the San Diego Zoo in 1938. I certainly recommend it as a book club read. 1st ed. It is history that deserves your help! The Great 1938 Hurricane took almost everyone by surprise. New York: Scribner. Get help and learn more about the design. The Great 1938 Hurricane washed homes off their foundations. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. Cleaning up timber damaged by the Great 1938 Hurricane took years. 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. Benchley recalled, I have never seen anyone so tired and relieved as Charley Smith when he drove the great awkward truck through the zoo gate, half an hour after phoning me from a suburb. My mom was 16 and lived in New Bedford on Acusnet ave.(not sure of the spelling) with her mom and dad. For the in-depth story, see The San Diego Zoo: The Founding Era, 1916-1953 Three giraffe subspecies are housed at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park (as of July 2016; Amanda Lussier, personal communication): I highly recommend the book: Sudden Sea by R. A. Scotti. It then took two years for the 50 CCC camps and 15,000 WPA workers in the region to finish the job. However, as soon as she was upright the crew could see that her left rear ankle was severely injured. They also turned a profit for the first time in the zoos 22-year history. With the necessary funds, zoo director Belle Benchley, the first female zoo director in the world, paid for two young Ugandan giraffes and one rhinoceros to be shipped from Africa in 1938. For instance, there were amazing oral histories just about the 1938 hurricane that the giraffes were caught in before landing in New York was the worst until Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The giraffe is in a large crate on the bed of the truck which appears to be inside a building. I would give this book ten stars if possible. I had read about the true story of the famous hurricane giraffes when I conducted research for my story on Belle Benchley, but I thank Lynda Rutledge for writing this work of fiction, which left me with the desire to learn more about them. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. Thank you so much for the feedback! She was presumed dead while every precaution was taken to protect the male. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. News of the storm-tossed ship had reached reporters, and they gathered on the dock to get the story. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. It turned out to be the storm surge, topped by waves 30 and 50 feet high. https://thehistoryguyguild.locals.com/. img#wpstats{display:none} Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. My Life in a Man-Made Jungle. Finally, the waves overwhelmed their own house, lifting it off its foundation. I have been recommending it to everyone! In 1938, the merchant steamer SS Robin Goodfellow was caught in the Great New England Hurricane. I absolutely loved this book. The XVIII Winter Olympics opened in Nagano, Japan 25 years ago. Benchley, Belle J. The Great 1938 Hurricane submerged coastal towns under eight feet of water. does the dog die in hondo; dhgate marc jacobs dupe; natural scents for candles. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration. 2015. Apparently they subsisted on pancakes that the cook made for them for three days until they got to shore. 1938, near the Cape Verde Islands. .printfriendly.pf-alignright { Born in the wild country of southeast Africa, these babies, less than three years old, set sail from their native shores last summer and were 54 days at sea.