"I have seen the Elephant" means I have been through the trials and tribulations and know what it is like. The term is known to have been used during the California gold rush days. Unsuccessful gold seekers that lost everything seeking gold may say "I have seen the elephant and want no more of it." Some say that was the start of the expression. There is another explanation of this expression that is most preferred by historians and seems to me to be plausible. A farmer, knowing that a circus was coming to town, loaded his wagon with vegetables for market and hoped to also see the circus parade. Having never seen an elephant, he was very excited by the prospect. On the way, he encountered the circus parade and saw the elephant. He was filled with excitement. The problem was, that his horses were too. They became terrified, bolted and overturned the wagon ruining his load of vegetables. The farmer seeing the destruction says "But I don’t give a hang, for I have seen the elephant." The same can be said for the California gold rush. Was it worth the trials, tribulations and hardship, just to have seen the elephant? Are you a letterboxer who has seen the elephant?