Road Signs for Dr. McCleery's Lobo Wolf Park near Kane, Pennsylvania

When Dr. E. H. McCleery's lobo wolf park was located along Route 6 near Kane, Pennsylvania, the park's entrance was marked by two signs near the road. One sign was in the shape of a howling wolf which read "Lobo Wolves" and which was situated atop a pile of rocks. The other sign featured a large arrow pointing in the direction of the park's entrance, with a wolf howling in front of a full moon on either end of the arrow. This sign displayed the admission prices of the wolf park; admission was 30 cents for adults and 15 cents for children (by 1966 admission had risen to 75 cents for adults²³⁵ and 35 cents for children¹³). Both of these signs stood at the wolf park as early as April 1949, according to interviews and a film of the wolf park, and stayed up at the wolf park until after Jack Lynch moved the wolves from the area.

Later on, presumably under Jack Lynch's management, the arrow sign was changed slightly. A photo of the sign, half obscured by foliage, appeared in the September 21, 1972 issue of the Kane Republican and indicates that pine tree graphics were added to the howling wolf image, admission prices were removed, and text was removed so that the sign only said "WOLVES."

Signs advertising "The Only Lobo Wolves in the World" could be found throughout the area. The signs often featured artwork by Dr. McCleery's first secretary Myrtle Jarensky.²³⁴

A 4-by-8-foot hand-painted sign which read "The Only Lobo Wolves in the World East of Kane on U.S. 6" was located along Route 6 west of Kane near the hospital. After the wolves were moved from the area in 1972, Kane resident Rocky Holland took the sign home and currently sells prints of a photograph of it.

Several blue 6-by-3-foot porcelain signs were erected along roads in the vicinity and featured a picture of a howling wolf and the text, "The Only Lobo Wolves in the World - On Route 6 - Kane, Penna." Passers-by would occasionally attempt to shoot the wolf on the sign, as evidenced by the bullet holes in the surviving signs. One of these signs hangs at the Kane Depot in Kane, PA. Another belongs to an individual who lives along Route 6.

In 1973, about a year after the wolves were moved to Gardiner, Washington and the wolf park land along Route 6 was sold, Mr. Jones took down many of the local signs.²⁴⁵ Their whereabouts is currently unknown.

In the early 1930s, when Dr. McCleery's second wolf park was established between Gap and Coatesville, Pennsylvania, signs advertising that park were put up in Maryland and western New Jersey, as well as in the local area.²³⁴

Do you have photos of the old Lobo Wolves signs, remember where any of the signs were located, or know where any of the signs are today? Please feel free to contact me!