But the reality is buried beneath legend and myth. Newschannel 11 went in search of the truth. Some of what we found may surprise you. It's a legend that Erwin, Tennessee can't escape. But many that live in Erwin are just plain tired of it.
People know about that elephant that barely know about the town.
They think a bunch of rednecks came down here and got carried away, which really wasn't what happened. To find out what really happened, we met local author Charles Edwin Price in the railroad yard where it took place. I thought it would be interesting to see whether the truth could actually measure up to the folklore. Actually the truth is better than the folklore. At five tons, the elephant was even larger than the legendary Jumbo.