The Elk River Alligator

[W. Gray]

•   Does anyone know anything about the Elk River Alligator he/she could share with us?

•   The only thing I am aware of is a six-foot alligator was captured from the Elk River maybe in the mid to late 1920s. The critter was stuffed and placed on display in Hottinger's drug store.

•   I can only remember back to the late forties and Hottinger's was closed by that time. I only recall a bunch of German World War I or II helmets and rifles on display in the closed store's window. I think it was on the northeast corner of Wabash and Randolph.

•   There is a mention of the alligator in the Elk County history book. There used to be a web site discussing the alligator put there by the family of a young girl who lived in Howard at the time. She has since passed away and the family has removed the web site. The web site mentioned Hot's drug store.

[Wilma]

OK, I found it, but it doesn't tell us much more.  Does anyone else have any more on it?  I seem to remember my husband mentioning an alligator being found in Elk river but don't remember any more than the mention.

[W. Gray]

Well, the Kansas and Elk River alligator may be extinct but Colorado stilll has 450 of them.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==3690

[genealogynut]

I'll try to find the newspaper clipping soon and get it posted on here.

[genealogynut]

The Citizen
June 6, 1925

ALLIGATORS IN ELK RIVER

Two Large Ones Shot and Killed on Elk River, South of Howard, Last Saturday

Saturday, Decoration Day, a couple of oil workers going south from Howard, when crossing the Elk River at the bridge, south of town, noticed two alligators sporting in the river.  One of the men returned to town, and told of the fact, but it was a long time before he could find anyone to believe him.  Finally he went into Hottinger Drug Store and convinced Hottinger that he had not been imbibing corn liquor, and got him to go down and see for himself. The result was that Hottinger shot and killed the two animals, and they were brought to town.

The larger of the two reptiles measured 9 feet and 2 inches, and the smaller one 6 feet and 9 inches.  They were placed on the sidewalk in front of the drug store and thousands visited the free show Saturday.  That evening they were taken to the cooling room at the ice plant and Sunday, Mr. Hottinger and B. W. Hamar skinned the animals and mounted them.  Sunday larger crowds called to see the animals at the Hamar premises, many from neighboring towns.

Friday night a man driving through the country showed some alligators at Piedmont and the next morning he camped in the tourist park in the east part of town.  He left early Saturday morning, going south and it is the supposition that he threw the animals into the stream, as he crossed.  It is said that he had three of the animals when at Piedmont and parties claim to have seen another of the alligators down the river just above the city water works dam.

Why the showman should have disposed of his animals in this manner, is only speculation.

[Wilma]

So that answers my alligator questions.

[Wayne Barnaby]

I remember seeing the stuffed aligators at The old Drug Store.

[Wilma]

Waldo:  Read your alligator story in the Flinthill Express.  Good story.  Can you imagine the excitement the alligators must have created way back then?  There probably weren't many people around who had ever seen such a critter.

[Marcia Moore]

Yes, that was a good story.  I have enjoyed reading your stories in the Howard paper.

[W. Gray]

Thanks to both of you. This story would not have been complete without Lois Morgan finding the Howard Citizen story.