The Elephant Corral

The Elephant Corral. The Lower Downtown Walking Tour. An ancestor to the beginnings of the National Western Stock Show, the Elephant Corral was home to prairie oxen and mountain mules, horses, and cows, but not a single elephant. In fact, the name is said to relate to a metaphor for the Gold Rush days of America and the perilous crossing of the continent, when 'seeing the elephant' became synonymous with seeing something strange, wonderful and perhaps a little frightening. The first structure at this address was constructed of hewn logs in 1858 by Charles Blake and Andrew Williams and was commonly known as Denver Hall. Here, emigrants watered, boarded and fed, and traded livestock. With the Denver House on the same block, the scene was the center of civilization in early Denver and was a favorite place for holding public meetings. A fire destroyed the building in 1863, and a new two-story warehouse was built on the site with a high wall and stables. The second floor was called Union Hall and housed the offices of the Denver Daily Gazette. In 1888, rancher John Thames bought the property and cleared the site to construct the current buildings, the oldest of which dates back to 1902. however, as late as 1910, the property was still used for the stabling of horses and mules, and later for the storage of trucks, the twentieth century's new workhorses.