The Elephants Go Marching Trivia Quiz

Answer: USA

Anchorage is the largest and most populous city in the state of Alaska, although it is not the capital - that honour belongs to Juneau, about 100km to the south-east. Russia sold the Alaskan peninsula to the United States in 1867; it became a territory in 1912 and was admitted to the Union, as the forty-ninth state, in January 1959. It has the distinction of being the state with the most westerly and northerly points of the United States. It also has the most easterly point, since the 180° meridian passes through the state. [The most southerly point is in Hawaii.]

I'm not going to worry about how the elephants arrived; maybe they stowed away on a cruise ship; but let it suffice to say that they were safely in Anchorage at the end of March to start their trek. By that time, the weather should have been sufficiently warm for them to forage for plants and shrubs to eat. Heading east through the Chugach and Wrangell-St. Elias State National Parks, the elephants enjoyed coastal scenery as well as seeing the lakes, mountains and glaciers. The flora was investigated and tasted, no doubt. The fauna was probably of less interest, unless it got in their way, but they were used to smaller creatures moving before that happened. The elephants travelled about 500km east, towards the border with Canada.

Answer: Canada

The Yukon is the smallest territory in Canada. Originally the most north-westerly part of the Northwest Territories, Yukon became a separate territory in 1898. It takes its name from the Yukon River, which flows to the north and west through the territory and then Alaska to empty into the Bering Sea.

I think my elephants probably reached the Yukon in the middle of April. I'm sure that they enjoyed the longer days and rising temperatures. As they passed through the Kluane National Park, I don't think they saw much difference from the parks in Alaska. There may have been more variety in the plants they were finding to eat, and moving on to the river gave them plenty of bathing opportunities, as well as water to drink. Passing through the capital city, Whitehorse, they carried on trekking east, a total of about 750km.

Answer: Canada

The Northwest Territories is the second largest of Canada's three territories; Nunavut, also originally part of the Northwest Territories, is the largest. The capital city, Yellowknife, lies on the northern side of the Great Slave Lake, the second largest lake in NWT.

By the beginning of May, the elephants would have reached the border with the Northwest Territories. Carrying on east, they passed through the Nahanni National Park, where there should have been plenty of vegetation to nibble on, and lots of small streams and lakes for drinking and bathing. Considering their ultimate destination, they felt it was probably time to turn southwards, even though they had only spent about ten days in the territory, and trekked for 350km.

Answer: Canada

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces. It became the sixth province to join the confederation in 1871. The capital city is Victoria, on Vancouver Island in the south-west of the province. It lies about 100km from the largest city, Vancouver, on the mainland.

My elephants did not go to the capital, or Vancouver; they trekked through the north-east of the province. Leaving a very surprised few hundred people in the small settlement of Fort Liard, they headed towards Dawson Creek, a larger place on the eastern border of British Columbia, a journey of about 500km. Passing the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park provided plenty more plants for foraging, and watercourses to drink from.

Answer: Canada

Alberta is the westernmost of the three prairie provinces in Canada. Originally part of the Northwest Territories, Alberta became a province of Canada in 1905. Alberta's capital city is Edmonton; it is not the largest city - that honour belongs to Calgary around 300km further south.

The elephants headed south-east through the Jasper and Banff National Parks. They had found it better to forage in open countryside, since the urban population seemed less than happy to have their gardens raided for food. Nevertheless they were heading to Calgary; they had heard about a stampede and thought it sounded like something they might enjoy. They were disappointed to discover that they were about a month too early; but perhaps it was just as well since a herd of elephants and a town full of lots of visitors and horses probably wouldn't be a good mix! They had taken a month, and travelled about 1000km through Alberta.

While my elephants may be imaginary, the idea of them roaming over North America is not completely unlikely. My editor, agony, tells me that in Edmonton in 1926, some elephants from a circus train got loose and had a lovely day roaming the neighbourhood and foraging in the gardens there.

Answer: Canada

Saskatchewan also became part of the Canadian Confederation in 1905, since it, like Alberta, had previously been part of the Northwest Territories. Its largest city is Saskatoon, although the capital, and second largest city, is Regina, about 300km further south-east.

Arriving towards the end of June, the elephants were steering clear of both those places. They had heard of a small town called Maple Creek, and thought it might be a good place for sweet syrupy buns. The two thousand or so inhabitants of the town were not impressed when the elephants came looking for buns, so the herd left rapidly, and headed south for the border. It had been only a short march, of about 200km, through Saskatchewan.

Answer: USA

Montana was the forty-first state to be admitted to the Union in November 1889, shortly after the states of North and South Dakota to the east, and not long before Idaho and Washington further west. Situated on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains, Montana is the fourth largest state in America, and is one of the least densely populated states. The largest city is Billings while the capital is Helena, nearly 300km further west.

Our elephants weren't very enthusiastic about visiting either of those places and headed south between them. The Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument gave them plenty of space to roam, plenty of vegetation to eat, and plenty of water for drinking and bathing. Further south it was hard to know who was more surprised as the elephants passed through the small town of Grass Range; the elephants weren't expecting a town from the name, and the hundred or so residents certainly weren't prepared for a herd of elephants to visit. Heading further south they found the larger town of Big Timber, and enjoyed themselves in the Yellowstone River. Carrying on south, they had travelled about 350km and it was the middle of July.

Answer: USA

Wyoming was the forty-fourth state to be admitted to the Union in July 1890. In 1869, the largest city, Cheyenne, was named as the temporary capital of what was then Wyoming Territory, and it has remained as the capital ever since.

Crossing the border into Wyoming, the elephants passed through the edges of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. The French speakers amongst them hoped for more trees than they found in the small town of Dubois, the others hoped to have some fun further south-east at Muddy Gap, but it was also a bit disappointing, so they carried on south. It had taken nearly three weeks to reach the southern border of Wyoming, and they had marched for about 650km.

Answer: USA

Colorado was admitted to the Union as the thirty-eighth state in August 1876, so it is known as the Centennial State. Its capital city is Denver, which is one of the highest in the country at 5,280 feet, and has the nickname of Mile High City. Unlike those in many American states, Colorado's capital is also its most populous city.

The elephants avoided the big cities of Colorado Springs and Denver and kept further west along the edges of the mountains. Glenwood Springs sounded appealing, and they had fun at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers. They thought Poncha Springs sounded like a promising place, too, but were disappointed to find that the South Arkansas River was very small, so they carried on in a southerly direction. Another twelve days had seen them travel 400km further on their trek.

Answer: USA

New Mexico is the fifth largest of the states in America. It was the forty-seventh state to be admitted to the Union, in January 1912, just a month before neighbouring Arizona. Although the largest city is Albuquerque, the state's capital is about 100km north east at Santa Fe, which is one of the oldest cities in the country, being founded by the Spanish in 1610.

Dismayed by the swathes of desert as they crossed the border from Colorado, the elephants decided to head for the Carson National Forest, and were pleased to find trees and lakes. Carrying on south, they thought they shouldn't appear as uncultured beings, and headed towards Santa Fe. Maybe it was as well that they chose the Santa Fe National Forest rather than the city itself, because they found plenty more vegetation and water. The Cibola and Gila National Forests also provided convenient stopovers on their way to the Mexican border. They had travelled another 600km, and it was now the end of August.

Answer: Mexico

Chihuahua is one of the six states in Mexico which share a border with the United States. To the west are Baja California and Sonora which adjoin California and Arizona. The easterly states are Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. About one third of Chihuahua's norther border is with New Mexico, the rest, in a north-westerly to south easterly direction, is with Texas and is defined by the course of the Rio Grande. The state of Chihuahua takes its name from its capital city, situated in the middle of the state. The largest city is Ciudad Juárez, in the north-east of the state; it is on the river bank south of El Paso in Texas, and 350km north of the city of Chihuahua.

Although the state is known for the Chihuahua desert, the elephants were pleased to find that it also had plenty of forests, several rivers, and a variety of vegetation. So they were able to forage quite happily as they marched along. They were especially pleased when they found plenty of apples growing round the town of Cuauhtémoc; the residents were probably less happy after the elephants had moved on. They marched for about 800km through Chihuahua, taking three and a half weeks.

Answer: Mexico

Durango is a landlocked state in Mexico. It is separated from the Gulf of California by the state of Sinaloa in the south-west. Its largest city is also the capital, and called Victoria de Durango after Guadelupe Victoria (1786 - 1843), who was the country's first president.

Having contemplated a route following the course of the Rio Grande, the elephants had decided to go via Durango when they realised that it had even more forests than Chihuahua. Avoiding the semi-desert areas in the north-east, the elephants wandered through the middle of the state crossing grassy plains with a good number of trees and some rivers; it was ideal foraging country after their recent apple feast. They travelled for about 400km through Durango, and it was the first week in October as they left.

Answer: Mexico

Zacatecas takes its name from its capital city. It is a landlocked state in the centre of Mexico. Although there is some agriculture and tourism, the state derives most of its wealth from the silver and other minerals which are found there.

Vegetation in Zacatecas includes the bursera microphylla, known locally as the torote, or, in English, as the elephant tree. The herd were very pleased to see them growing in some of the more arid parts of the state. In other areas they found some grassland and scrubby trees; they were not so happy about the dearth of rivers. The most exciting place they found was the artificial lake in La Encantada Park in the capital city; the residents and visitors hoping to enjoy the recreational activities there were astonished when the elephants appeared and made themselves at home. They took about ten days to march around 350km through Zacatecas.

Answer: Mexico

San Luis Potosí is another landlocked Mexican state which takes its name from its capital city. It is situated in the central part of eastern Mexico, and is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the states of Tamaulipas and Vera Cruz.

Apart from the now usual grass and trees, the elephants were pleased to find a few tasty treats of fruits, cereal, and beans in the agricultural areas of the state, although these were limited because most of the economy is dominated by mining and manufacturing. The elephants were also pleased to find a few more rivers for bathing and drinking. It took the herd getting on for three weeks to trek for 600km across San Luis Potosí.

Answer: Mexico

The Mexican state of Veracruz, officially Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is another state which takes its name from a city. However, in this case the name is taken from Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz (the rich town of the true cross) which is now known as Veracruz. The capital city is Xalapa-Enríquez, often called Xalapa or Jalapa, it is about 100km north-west of Veracruz. About a third of the country's coastline on the Gulf of Mexico is in the state, which is on the east coast of Mexico.

Crossing into the state of Veracruz at the small town of El Higo, the elephants headed east passing the lake at Paso de Piedras. The grass and trees were richer and greener than they had found for the previous few weeks, and there was plenty of water in the lake for drinking and bathing. They carried on east to reach the coast by the Laguna de Tamiahua; then they turned right to head down the shore to their destination at the city of Veracruz. Another 400km marching saw them arrive in the middle of November.