Fourteen Trumpeting Elephants

Book excerpt: Fourteen Trumpeting Elephants...what has that got to do with Cranbrook or the Kootenays of British Columbia? Why is there a statue of an elephant at the end of Baker Street? What is the best place to pick huckleberries? Grandpa is telling stories to an audience of Cranbrook town folk that include his 10 year old grandson. Grandpa's tales are based on the escape of a herd of elephants from a circus train in 1926. His tales include the imagined escapades of one Charlie Ed: an elephant who successfully evaded his pursuers, and in the weeks of his freedom "climbed mountains, swam rivers and worked at a logging camp. This story provides a much needed historical record suitable for children's as well as adult reading. Too often we do not know the history in our own back yard. This story will not only entertain but educate and hopefully plant seeds of curiosity in children and adults alike.