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The Ringling Bros. Circus was founded in Baraboo, WI, in 1884 by the
five local Ringling brothers: Al, Alf T., Charles, John and Otto. The
world-famous circus wintered in Baraboo for a total of 34 years,
through the winter of 1918. In that time period, the show grew from a
very small operation employing a handful of people, to a circus empire
consisting of the three largest circuses in America, each employing
over a thousand.
Their circus winter quarters in Baraboo became known to locals as
"Ringlingville." The surviving buildings stand along the north bank of
the Baraboo River, and date from 1897 through 1916. These buildings
are the largest group of original circus structures in North America.
This original winter quarters area is now a National Historic
Landmark Site.
Circus World - Baraboo, Wisconsin
Circus World now presents
traditional big top circus
performances, magic shows,
movies, clowns, a kid’s
interactive circus, historic
tours, circus music shows and
more.
I couldn’t take in the entire site in one visit,
so I concentrated my, and my camera’s,
attention on those things that were most
appealing to me: the bright, colorful,
sensational, over-the-top circus posters and
parade wagons.
Traveling menageries were
the first to use tented
structures to display animals;
and both menageries and
tents were incorporated by
the American circus.
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