Ringling Bros. Circus
Some of my earliest memories are of my Dad taking me to the Circus. I think a lot of us have some kind of fond memory of the Circus. My husband took his daughter to the Circus every year until she was in her mid-twenties. When we were first married, we went to the Circus together and even took my Mom when she was in her eighties. To me, it has always been an annual event and a lot of fun!
After operating for over 100 years, unfortunately, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has closed down. The attendance at the circus had been dwindling for several years. Their last performance was on May 21, 2017.
There is a place where the Ringling Bros. Circus comes to life, The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
The Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin
We visited the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin several years ago. It’s a wonderful place with lots of historical information about the Ringling family and the start of Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows. The museum has Circus-related artifacts and exhibits. In the Summertime, they still have live Circus performances! The museum also has a collection of 260 circus wagons!
The Ringling Brothers
The Ringling Brothers, 7 in all, were sons of a German immigrant, August Frederick Rungeling who changed his name to Ringling when he arrived in America. They moved to Baraboo, Wisconsin in 1875. The Ringling Bros. “World’s Greatest Shows” started in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Five of the seven brothers performed skits and juggling routines in Town Halls all around the state of Wisconsin. Their first show was 11/27/1882 in Mazomanie, Wisconsin and they called this the “Ringling Bros. Variety Performance”. In 1884, they expanded their acts into a one-ring show. The show added a trick horse and bear by the end of the season. The Circus started traveling by trains in 1888. In 1907 Ringling Bros. acquired the Barnum & Bailey Circus and operated the 2 separately until 1919 when they merged and “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus” was born. At this time, only two Brothers remained, Charles and John. They started to spend winters in Sarasota, Florida. By 1927, John had moved the Circus headquarters to Sarasota, Florida. On Christmas day, 1927, the winter quarters opened it’s doors to visitors. Families could see Circus rehearsals as well as animals from all over the world.
Don’t worry, we let him out, eventually!
I remember, as a child, the excitement of the circus train coming through our town, which meant that I would soon be going to the circus!
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus remained under the control of the Ringling family until 1967 when it was sold to the Feld Family. As I mentioned before, due to declining attendance and the high cost of operation, the last performance was on May 21, 2017.
Elephant retirement-CEC
Ringling Bros. Circus elephants were all retired by May 2016. They live at the “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation” in Central Florida(not a bad place to retire). The CEC was established in 1995
You can still see a circus today. Here is the website for the Carson & Barnes Circus I have not been to this one, but maybe I’ll check it out next summer. In my opinion, it is a great family activity and tradition! Even in my fifties, I would still like to see a circus, it brings back great childhood memories! I’m definitely going to see the retired elephants at the CEC next time we are in Florida!
Do you have fond memories of the circus? Let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an email.
I have treasured memories of my one circus experience as a child. It was magical. Thanks for the historical perspective and I’ll be sure to visit the museum.
Thanks! It’s a cool place
I’ve always loved the circus too and it was nice to see that you included some history on the Ringling Bros. I didn’t realize there was a Circus World Museum in WI and would like to see it someday. Thanks for the information.
Thanks!