The Sad Story About Montana’s Only Elephant Gravesite

If someone walked up to me at the bar and said, "Hey, have you heard about the elephant that's buried in Montana?", I would assume a joke is coming. However, this tale is not a joke. There really is an elephant buried in Big Sky Country.

Her name was Pitt, and she's buried in Beaverhead County in the charming southwestern town of Dillon. How she died, and why she's buried in a field on the community fairgrounds, is pretty sad... but first, a little bit about Pitt.

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Photo by Maeers/Fox Photos/Getty Images

Pachyderms were the stars of the big top.

Back before folks started becoming concerned about the overall welfare of circus animals, elephants were often one of the biggest stars of these traveling extravaganzas. Pitt the Elephant started her working career for a turn-of-the-century, Ohio-based traveling circus called John Robinson's Circus.

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At some point, Pitt was sold to the Cole Brothers Circus.

The Cole Brothers Circus rolled into Dillon, MT, in August 1943 and set up shop at the county fairgrounds. All was fine and dandy until a big thunderstorm blew through the area, recounts Southwesternmontananews.com.

As lightning crashed around the valley, one bolt struck the grounds near (or hitting) the big top, where the elephants were lined up outside. All of them fell to the ground, but poor Pitt failed to get back up. She was struck dead by lightning at the ripe old age of 102.

Pitt's gravesite at the fairgrounds in Dillon, MT. Credit Southwestern MT News via YouTube

A memorial marks the spot to this day.

Circus workers, and perhaps some help from the locals, dug an elephant-sized hole near where Pitt died, and she was lowered to her final resting spot at the Beaverhead County Fairgrounds. The 80th anniversary of her death was noted by a small gathering in 2023, and the modest grave marker has been updated.

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My coworker grew up in Dillon, just blocks from the fairgrounds, and he remembers the first time his father showed him Pitt's gravesite. He recalls doubtfully asking his dad, "How could they fit an elephant in that little spot?", comparing the size of the marker to how big an elephant is.