Walter McClain

From the list of elephant persons Family: McClain

Walter McClain
Walter McClain, 1938
Personal details
Country	United States

Locations
Title	elephant superintendent 1939-1942
Location	at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in United States

Title	elephant superintendent 1937-1938
Location	at Al G Barnes-Sells Floto Circus in United States

Title	elephant superintendent 1934-1937
Location	at Al G. Barnes Circus in United States

Title	elephant superintendent 1924-1931
Location	at Sparks Circus in United States

Title	assistant superintendent 1923-1924
Location	at Sparks Circus in United States

Title	other 1917-1923
Location	at Sparks Circus in United States

Biography details

Walter McClain , circus elephant trainer in United States

Born ca 1898 dead 1942-11-26 in United States .

Walter McClain started 1917 as candy butcher at Sparks Circus, became assistant to Louis Reed in 1923, and Elephant superintendent 1924-1931.

Walter McClain with unidentified elephant, on Unknown show. The locomotive was #706 of the Central Vermont Railroad and it was built in 1928.

Records about Walter McClain from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/
1934: Walter McClain was in charge of the 16 elephants on the show that season and he may well have them all moving the "Hippo Den" thru the sand in Seattle 5/27/34.
- Al G. Barnes Circus 1934/ Working in the sand

William "Buckles" Woodcock

Trainer Walter McClain and his elephants at the Ringling Circus: Sarasota, Florida, ca 1940. Photo: Steinmetz, Joseph Janney (1905-1985).

1942: Walter McClain, Elephant Expert, Dies Under Wagon in Florida.

Records about Walter McClain from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/
Slivers was drafted into the Army in 1942 and he told me he was in Basic Training when he learned that Walter had been killed.
Oscar Cristiani added that he had been an eye witness to the incident. He said that John Ringling North was engaged to one of his sisters at the time and the three of them were standing at the crossing watching the train being unloaded when the hook rope broke while one of the wagons was coming down the runs and continued to roll across the intersection.
McClain was standing nearby with the elephants and attempted to climb aboard the runaway vehicle to set the hand brake but instead slipped and fell beneath to his death.

William "Buckles" Woodcock

Records about Walter McClain from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/
As far as a department head with the old style railroad shows is concerned, Walter McClain was the best ever with Ringling.
None were the equal of Cheerful Gardner tho a close runner up was Walter McClain.
- A portion of a letter from Bill Woodcock (1/8/61) to Chappie Fox.

William "Buckles" Woodcock

Records about Walter McClain from William "Buckles" Woodcocks Blog at http://www.bucklesw.blogspot.com/

The 1940 program also ran an article on boss elephant man Walter McClain titled “Beautician to Fifty Elephants,” and which described some of the care and maintenance that McClain and his associates were required to perform on the show’s elephant Herd.

William "Buckles" Woodcock

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2024). elephant trainer Walter McClain in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 9 December 2024 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=1308. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

Selected publications

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