Stark, actually: Where the elephants roamed
WHAT: Canton Township property — formerly owned by Anthony "Tony" Diano — was home to circus elephants and other animal stars.
WHERE: Belden Avenue SE and Faircrest Street.
WHEN: This photo was taken the afternoon of Feb. 20, 2023.
THE STORY: Old circus magazines, and current social media sites, are filled with photos and stories of the former Diamond O' Ranch in Stark County.
Diano had operated a circus show for a bit, but was more famous for the menagerie on his 107-acre farm for decades, dating to the 1950s. The cast included zebras, cheetahs, mountain lions, lions, a tiger, jaguar, leopard, buffalo, and "Molly," a rhinoceros, who appeared in the 1952 Gregory Peck film "The Snows of Kilimanjaro."
And, of course, Diano's elephants.
The last five moved from the farm in 1986 when Diano sold them. The quintet included "Tommy," a behemoth who was renamed "King Tusk," for performances in Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Diano died in 1990; the property sold for the first time at an auction a few years later.
Reach Tim at 330-580-8333 ortim.botos@cantonrep.com.On Twitter: @tbotosREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County property was home to elephants and circus animals
