Elsa Gunnison Appleton Riding Arena

(if you come across this web page and have pictures, stories, etc of yourself or others from the  stables, send them to me so I can add them conniesterner@gmail.com )

If any of the visitors to this we site has read "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Alborn, there was a character in this book that had a profound impact on Eddie.  She was the lady in the book who contributed money to have his amusement park built.  In a way, Elsa Gunnison Appleton is one of those characters in my life.  She contributed to SLU to have the riding arena built.  There I spent much of my youth and forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime.  It was a place where friends worked, played, grew, learned and achieved great things before going out into the world.   I was lucky to meet her once. She and her husband Oliver D. Appleton (a descendent of the Canton Russell family) are buried across the street from the riding arena at Evergreen Cemetery.

 

So who was Elsa Gunnison Appleton?

The Gunnisons and the Appletons - both families have Canton Roots:

                    Click here  http://www.stlawu.edu/magazine/fall05/gunnison.html

                  

Her Grandfather, SLU President:

 

Ogdensburg News July 1, 1917:

(note dau Mrs. Guy Harrington was Agnes Lulu Gunnison)

 

Elsa Gunnison's Father:

Brooklyn Eagle May 15, 1892:

Malone Farmer 1917:

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Jan 14, 1922:

Watertown Daily Times Jan 11, 1922:

Brooklyn Eagle Dec 16, 1925:

Some Clippings about Elsa Gunnison's Life:

Brooklyn Eagle April 12, 1926:

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Nov 28, 1926:

Brooklyn Daily Eagle Dec 4, 1927:

 

Gouverneur Press, Dec 13, 1972:

Gouverneur Press, Feb 21, 1973:

(Note:  Harriett Ferry Appleton was the dau of Mary Jane Russell & Watson Ferry, once a Canton Attorney .  The Alpha Tau Omega Frat house was once Leslie Wead Russell's Canton Home)

 

Evergreen Cemetery, Canton NY (from Anne Cady's Web Site):

Appleton
Frederic Gunnison Appleton, 1933-1992 (Section F)
Charles William Appleton, 1937-1999 (Section F)
Appleton Bench, (Section F)
Elsa Gunnison Appleton, 1904-1972 (Section F)
Oliver Dayton Appleton, 1905-1973 (Section F)
Charles W Appleton, 1874-1945 (Section F)
Harriet R Ferry Appleton, 1873-1958 (Section F)
John R Appleton, 1910-1955 (Section F)

Ferry (See also: Appleton)
Mary Russell Ferry, June 26, 18897 ;Close-up (Section F)
Moses Jared Ferry, June 29, 1814 - June 21, 1878 (Section F)

...........................................................................................................................

 

Watertown Daily Times, May 31, 1968:

Tom Shires and Gallopade - 1968

 (Gallopade - Team silver medal, 1964, Tokyo Olympics, 12th individually. )

Gallopade was given to SLU during the summer of 1968.  I was 13 years old at the time and vividly remember when the Appletons arrived at the Stables either in a classic old Rolls Royce or Bentley.  Mrs. Appleton was determined to ride Gallopade again so we helped Tom Shires get ready for the occasion.  Gallopade had an injury earlier that year - a cut on the inside of one of  his fetlocks had developed Proud Flesh which needed to be removed and then allowed to heal.  That took him out of further competition with the USET, and led him to his new life at SLU.   That fall a senior rider, Connie Cole, rode Gallopade at an outdoor jumping event.  She had the last round of the last event of the day.  The sky was starting to get dark when she began.  She had a wonderful round until the very last fence.  The jump was about 3'9"  with 5+ foot wings.  All of a sudden we heard her yell "Gallopade NO!" , and taking off at least a stride ahead, over one of the wings they soared.  The big guy was just bored with the little fence!  Connie had long hair in a braid that flew right out behind her!  I'll never forget this moment as we all sat watching in utter amazement...simply stunned.    It was the first but not the last time this tremendous athletic  animal was to take a little fence like a big fence.  He kept reminding us he was a world class champion even though we were not!

 

 

Judy Escudero Needham and Phil Needham

Judy was a riding instructor at SLU during the late 1960s.  Phil was a SLU grad.

Judy Escudero Needham on Baby Rob

Phil Needham and Alamo

Phil Needham on Caviar, Judy Needham on Baby Rob - Hunting - 1968 near Ottawa

Judy & Charade - Eastern Canadian Championship - Montreal - 1968 - 1st fence - Cross Country Phase

Judy & Charade - Canadian National 3 Day Championships - Montreal - 8/1968

Charade

The Hill News - April 1968 (Jill Walters & Orange County:

 

 

The Hill News - May 9, 1968 (Sue McMahon & Pit Pat):

Teresa Smith on Alamo,  Lynn Flanagan on Domingo, Connie Molnar on Blue Denim - probably 1968

This is me (Connie Molnar) on Blue Denim - Spring 1968

This is me (Connie Molnar Sterner) on Orange County at a Hunter Pace near Montreal - July 1968  Lynn Flanagan is right behind me on Domingo.....

Judy Escudero Needham on Charade - same event as above - Cross County Dalmahoy Horse Trials 1 day Event - 8/1968

Sue McMahon (Louisignau) on Pit Pat - October 1968 Fall Show (Jumping in the Snow)

Connie Molnar (Sterner) & Domingo - probably 1969....

The Hill News - November 1968 (this looks like Bebe Caspari):

From Bebe (now Bibi) Caspari: "Very cool article! The photo is of me on Baby Rob. He had a strange habit of wanting to duck out to the right or left when approaching a fence, like he thought it was attacking him. Then we’d get to the fence and he’d give up and pick up his legs and go over the monster."

 

The Hill News - November 1969:

Gallopade - Richard Lamb