Elk and the Old Brick House

Osborn Low with pet elk and daughters.

The Lows and their pet elk.

Hunting season is upon us.  Here's a couple of "shots" we don't see everyday.  The Lows were famous for their tame elk (or at least the photos survive).  These photos were probably taken by Esther Matthews and seem to document the process of taming elk beginning with calves.  They were probably like horses and appear to be taking care of the lawn just fine. 

We can also see the evolution of the red brick house - the first sidewalk looks like it was made as a board walk. Apparently the whole front porch and steps which are in wood here were redone with cement at a later date.   When the house was torn down last year,  a narrow cement sidewalk was uncovered under the lawn.  I doubt if wood sidewalks last more that a few years at a time in deep snows.

Look closely at the lady on the front porch - she's holding one of the twins - they're both on the steps in little bonnets, so that dates the photo to about 1913-1914 because Cliss and Berniece were born in 1912 and lived with the Lows before their father George remarried.