B.C. man creates giant puppet to commemorate famous East Kootenay elephant
Charlie Ed the elephant escaped from the circus in Cranbrook in 1926
This September, a new performing arts festival will take place in B.C.'s East Kootenay. Named after a well-known elephant, the 'Ed Fest' will be a celebration of history.
Cranbrook artist Marcel Dou Roig is working to bring the story of Charlie Ed the elephant back to life. Charlie Ed escaped from the circus in 1926 and was on the run for six weeks.
Dou Roig has created a giant four-by-five metre elephant puppet that will roam the streets of the city, like Ed.
"For me, Ed represents the freedom and the art that we all have inside us, the artistic vein, if you will," said Dou Roig.
WATCH | B.C. artist shows off his giant creation:
The story of Charlie Ed
In 1926, the Sells Floto circus arrived in Cranbrook from Alberta with 14 elephants in tow. All of which broke free from their enclosure.
Falyne Hauprich, a historical interpreter with the Cranbrook History Centre, says most were found right away.
"Eleven of them were found pretty quickly. They got put back, but three were still missing. That included Tillie, Myrtle and Charlie Ed," said Hauprich.
Thus began a month-long elephant chase to find the three remaining elephants.
Tillie was found first.
"She had a bullet wound to the leg and was pretty malnourished, but other than that, she was alive and well," Hauprich said.
Shortly after, they found Myrtle dead from pneumonia and continued the search for Charlie Ed.
"Miraculously, on Sept. 14, [1926], Charlie Ed was found," Hauprich said.
"And this is all because the local Indigenous tribe, the Ktunaxa, used their tracking skills to find him. Unfortunately, they didn't get a lot of credit for this, but it was because of them that we were able to find Charlie Ed."
Ed continued touring with the circus and was renamed Cranbrook Ed for his famous escape.
That is, until 1936 when he met his demise at the age of 27.
Hauprich says it's believed that Charlie Ed attacked his owner and was killed by firing squad.
Now, Ed's legacy lives on through the hearts of people in Cranbrook. He has become the city's unofficial mascot, and there's even a statue of the elephant downtown.
"That was an event that created the news, made the news, and I feel at this point we need to remember [what] happened," said Dou Roig.
The makings of a mighty puppet
Dou Roig and his team will recreate the moment Ed broke free with a special performance in the streets of Cranbrook at the 'Ed Fest' on Sept. 9, 2023.
"It's going to be a similar parade to what they intended in 1926," Dou Roig said.
Dou Roig says he used 80 per cent recycled materials to make the puppet, in a process that began last winter.
"It was a lot of looking at elephant anatomy and just trying to match it with the materials I could find here and there," he said.
He used two boat trailers he found at the local transfer station for the base. Pool noodles were used for the tusks, and dog agility tunnels for the legs.
Ethan Mclachlan, a performer who will be clowning alongside Dou Roig and Ed at the festival, says he's looking forward to the opportunity.
"It's giant. You'd think 16 feet (five metres) is pretty big, but once you see it in person — oh my goodness," said Mclachlan.
And while Ed was a much smaller elephant than what Dou Roig has depicted with his art, it's a grand representation of one of the grandest stories in Cranbrook.
"Ed will roam the streets of Cranbrook forever, basically, as a free soul, a free spirit," said Dou Roig.
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