LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A bar opening in Lansing will be named after an elephant that was gunned down on the south side of the city 53 years ago.
The 3,000-pound animal named Rajjee was killed by police after getting spooked during a circus performance at the Logan Square Shopping Center and storming into a discount department store. Rajjee had trampled over a man during the chase, the Lansing State Journal (http://on.lsj.com/2ksNto5 ) reported.
"It took eight rapid-sequence shots from a deer rifle fired by Det. Lt. Mack Seegraves just to knock 'Little Rajjee,' a 16-year-old 'baby' who had broken in with the old Ringling Brothers tent circus, to one knee," a front page story from Sept. 27, 1963 read. "And more than three dozen shots were required to finish her off."
Nick Ostapczuk has planned to slightly alter her name when he opens Rajje's Taphouse this fall in The Venue at East Town. Ostapczuk hoped naming the gastropub after Rajjee will pay homage to the elephant.
He thought of the idea while sifting through the city's archives, looking to tie an aspect of Lansing's history into his business.
"There were a lot of interesting, subtle stories," Ostapczuk said. "Then I came across the story of Rajjee and all the subtlety went out the window. There was this knee-jerk reaction from the elephant taking off from the circus and unfortunately being killed in the streets. Hopefully, we're not bludgeoned in the streets of Lansing."
Rajje's is expected to have a mural on one wall, and newspaper clippings from Rajjee's incident. The bar will also boast brass elephant heads from a previous restaurant.