The Bellwood Elk

Defense Supply Center Richmond 

6090 Strathmore Road

Richmond, Va. 23237 
T he Bellwood elk are well known throughout the Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency, and around the nation. They are often the first feature visitors ask to see. The elk are a living link to historic Bellwood Farms 

and show the post’s commitment to retaining the cultural, historic and environmental landscape. 

 The Bellwood family was the last private owner of 

the land that Defense Supply Center Richmond occupies. James Bellwood was a highly respected and successful farmer. He was also an animal enthusiast and 

set aside land on his farm for a wooded park where 

deer, rabbits, and other wildlife could live and roam 

freely. 

A round 1900, Bellwood imported a pair of Wapiti 

elk from the Northwest (Yosemite Park and 

Washington State) to start a herd on his land. Wapiti is 

a Shawnee word meaning ‘white rump.’ According to 

newspaper and magazine articles of the time, the elk 

became an immediate hit with the community. With 

plenty of forage and room to graze, the herd multiplied 

to more than 20 during the time Bellwood owned the 

land. On weekends, hundreds of visitors would take the Richmond-Petersburg trolley, to picnic and enjoy Bellwood’s animal park. After 

Mr. Bellwood’s death, his family wanted to sell the 

land but were concerned about the future of their father’s beloved elk. The Army was interested in buying 

the property and the family agreed to sell on the condition that the Army would continue to keep the elk 

and provide for their care. The officer negotiating the 

sale for the War Department was sensitive to 

their concerns and a 

handshake completed 

the deal. The Army purchased 647 acres in 

1941, built a supply depot and kept the elk. 

D uring World War II, 

the elk grazed in 

an open pasture set aside for them near the southern 

boundary of the post along Kingsland Creek. In the 

summers the pasture was covered in grass for them to 

Richmond News Leader,1952 

1962 
graze and in the winters their diet was supplemented with hay and grain purchased for the 

horses used by the post’s mounted security force. 

As horses were phased out and government funding was withdrawn, the post was faced with the 

quandary of how to feed the elk. Some consideration was given to donating the herd to the state or 

to a conservation agency, but the Army insisted on 

honoring its commitment, despite having no appropriated funds allocated for the elks’ care. 

O ver the years, efforts to feed the elk were 

supported by donations from employees, 

through an Elk’s Bawl fund drive run by the Elk Relief Association. This practice was discontinued in 

1972 due to government regulations against solicitations. Donations were then made through the 

use of jars placed around work areas. 

In 1975, the Officers’ Wives’ Club took over fundraising, holding bake sales and 

other events to raise money for the elk. A few years later, a Wildlife Management 

Council was established and the facilities engineer was appointed as wildlife conservation officer. In recent years, the Elk Feed Fund Council uses money raised 

from recycling and private donations. Money was also raised by the occasional sale 

of one of the animals. Currently, there is a ban on moving elk between herds due to 

chronic wasting disease. It is contagious 

and fatal and has no cure. Outbreaks of 

Jan., 1970 

The Elk Horn, 1980

Fort Lee Traveler, 1966 
the disease have been reported in domestic and 

wild elk, but the Bellwood elk do not have the disease. 

T he herd size is 

maintained between 

seven and ten head. 

When it grows beyond 

that number, elk are donated to wildlife reserves 

or parks around the country. They live in a 20-acre 

preserve, with grass and 

a dense stand of oak trees. Although the Bellwood 

elk live near people, they are still wild animals and are not handled unless they are 

being treated by a veterinarian. 

 Employees who feed the elk have no direct contact with the animals. The elk remain wild creatures and those who work around them respect that. Elk eat grass, 

alfalfa and grains, such as corn and oats. During morning feedings the cows greet 

their caretakers with high pitched screams, while the bulls joust for a prime spot at 

the feed bin. Feeding is 

done from inside the 

barn. Grain is dumped 

into a feed shoot and 

hay slid into a rack. 

A veterinarian 

keeps inoculations up to date on the 

herd and ensures each 

animal is registered 

with an ear tag, as required by the state. To 

treat the elk, the veterinarian must put them to 

sleep with a tranquilizer 

shot from a special gun. 

Elk are hardy creatures 

and have a natural immunity to most diseases. 

Tuberculosis, or TB, has 

been found in some domestic elk, so the Bellwood elk are tested and 

vaccinated to guard against the disease. 

 1969 

 1978
A Fort Lee veterinarian gives an elk 

cow a TB shot in 1971. Ear tags are 

used to identify the elk and required 

by the state. 
E lk are curious animals and sometimes 

get themselves into trouble. A bull 

named Junior had a reputation of being 

overly curious. Junior got his head stuck inside a red feed bucket so firmly that the veterinarian had to pay a visit, tranquilize him 

and pry it off. An observer said “that bucket 

was on so tight that the poor elk looked 

cross-eyed.” 

On another occasion Junior got fabric 

tangled on his antlers and ran through 

the field with it streaming behind him. 

In 1981, a bull tangled barbed wire on 

his antlers prompting another visit 

from the veterinarian. A report in the 

post paper described what happened 

when a grounds crew left a tractor in 

the pasture while they took a lunch 

break. A bull attacked it, puncturing 

the radiator and doors. 

Jan., 1981 

Junior 
T he elk captured the attention of people across the 

country in 1953, when the Saturday Evening Post 

magazine ran a story called “The Elk that Joined the 

Army.” The post’s archives contain letters between the 

commander and Arthur Godfrey, a famous radio and television personality of the time. In 1950, Godfrey adopted 

several Bellwood elk and moved them to his farm in Leesburg, Va. Situation reports, prepared by military duty officers during the post’s first two decades, include items on 

elk escapes, battles and deaths. The post’s newspapers 

are filled with stories on elk births, naming competitions 

and fundraising efforts. The elk are also featured in holiday artwork, comics and instruction materials. Local 

newspapers also ran stories about the elk. 

 Elk Horn, 1968 
A 1955 Times Dispatch newspaper story highlighted a calf naming contest on post. Of 

1,200 names submitted, the winning name was 

Jeribell. This became a problem when the calf 

turned out to be a bull. The prize winner received 

$10. The elk herd lineage is annotated in documents on births and deaths; from illness, old age 

and battle wounds. The names of reigning bulls, 

including Big Sam, Big Tree, Jerry, Jeribell, Elmo, 

and Junior, are also noted. 

M ale elk are called bulls, females are called 

cows, and the babies are called calves. Bulls mature at age seven, weigh 

800 to 1,100 pounds, and stand five to six feet tall at the shoulder. Cows mature at 

age three, weigh about 550 pounds, and stand about four feet tall at the shoulder. 

Only bulls grow antlers; the number of points is influenced by genetics, feed and 

age. Elk grow their fist set of antlers at age one and use them for defense. They 

keep their antlers through the winter and shed them in the spring. A mature bull’s 

antlers can weigh between 20 to 30 pounds. As antlers grow, they are surrounded 

by a soft tissue called velvet. The bulls scrape the velvet off when the antlers stop 

growing. Bulls compete for dominance during the fall mating period by sparring and 

through powerful vocal calls known as bugling. Elk with six points on each antler 

are called Royal elk; seven point elk are Imperial; and those with eight points are 

Monarchs. 

Imperial Monarch 
C ows give birth after approximately 246 days. The calves are born mid-May 

through July and spend the first week of their lives hidden in tall grass. Calves 

are born with spots and develop brown coats in six months. Cows with calves will 

join together and take turns ‘babysitting’ while the others graze.