The Lions of Sigma Alpha Epsilon

For years the Kern County jail was known for its two large terra-cotta lions that sat on either side of the front entrance. The lions remained in that spot for 47 years until the jail had to be updated in 1952, following a massive earthquake that year.

With the razing of the building, the lions vanished, as well. The lions were eventually recovered some 10-years later, put up for auction and sold for $175 to a fraternity house near the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.

On way to their new home in Northern Nevada, the lions were damaged and had to be repaired before being put on display. Since then, they’ve been spray-painted, had their teeth chipped out and their whiskers broken off by rival fraternities, yet they still stand guard today at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house on Evans Street.