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Dunlaps Teenee Weenee Circus was likely carved by Victor Jay Dunlap who was born in 1875 in Wisconson and ran away with the circus. He was last heard of by his family in 1940 from Texas when he asked for information
to apply for social security. His date of death is unknown but in 1960 his circus was donated to the San Diego Historical Society by a family who said it's maker had recently died. The Historical Society kept the big top and trapeze show. I bought this setup which focuses on the circus's arrival in Eugene,Oregon. The exact date that the circus was carved in unknown, but it appears that when Victor Jay Dunlap carved the circus he paid a lot of attention to these details There are three buildings.-The Scobert and Dodge warehouse was a real business created by Myrtle Scobert and Edgar Dodge who married in Clackamus Co., Oregon in about 1900. The Eugene Wollen Mill was founded in Eugene by Emil A. Koppe at at the turn of the century. The Pacific Freight Depot also existed in Eugene at that time. The Dunlap Circus train has 5 cars each inscribed with the circus name. One has two rolled up canvas tents and another has a donkey looking out. Three are numbered flat cars. There are six wheeled wagons . The cook's wagon has provisions tied on top and buckets below. It has already been hitched to two white horses. There are five other wagons in various stages of unloading. The Circus has 20 delightfully carved animals. Among the four elephants, two are covered with showy wraps and one has a dressed circus rider. A parade of four camels is being led by a mounted rider dressed in a white turban and caftan. There are two Zebras, a dog, a show horse wearing a fancy blanket, two donkeys, and four more horses. There are 9 carved people. The elephant rider, the camel rider, two men unloading packages on two-wheeled carts, one man positioning a wagon, a man guiding the cooks wagon, and three others milling about. |
