Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1915-05-06
RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY
BARABOO CIRCUS DAYS
BY Attorney r. T. Warner, Everett Washington

At the last meeting of the Sank
County Historical society, an article on
circuses in Baraboo by Attorney R. T.
Warner of Everett, Washington, was
read. He begun his article by quoting
from this paper of last year and from
the American Magazine of February,
1914. The article in the magazine was
about Al. Ringing and was previously
published in this paper. Having ap-
peared before. the two articles alluded
to are omitted here. The article by
Mr.. Warner is az follows:
The foregoing newspaper articles are
very interesting to me, as I was raised
in Baraboo, Wisconsin, my parents
having emigrated from New England
in the year 1849, when / was only
seven years old. The schools of Bar a.
boo furnished me all the education
that acquired prior to 1861, when |
enlisted as soldier Of the Union.
AS school boy | was deeply inter
ested in shows, and especially circuses.
My memory extends back to the early
fifties. can remember the first show
ever saw. 1t must have been as
early as 1854, or perhaps 1853. I
remember the name, Nathans; or posi-
bly, it was Sands & Nathans; who
were the proprietors. 1t was a big
show. The biggest show that, up to
that time, had ever climbed over the
Baraboo bluffs. / remember how the
flaming posters inf1amed the i'm
agination of all the small boys of
the town. And there was a mena-
gerie in connection with it. Their
big posters showed all the ANIMALS of
the jungle, and more too. 1t was great
aggregation; in fact too great aggre
cations, a combination of two great
shows a great circus and great
menagerie. The Children of my faith
er's family had never seen a circus.
Our parents had not allowed us to at
tend one. Orton's circus, Wisconsin
show, from Madison, had visited Bara-
boo time or two before that, but we
had never been allowed to attend it.
But this, like ARENAS Wards, was a
great moral show" of animale; and
as natural history was then considered
very useful branch of education; and
as our parents had themselves seer the
great Van Amberg's menagerie, in the
east, we were allowed to go. remem-
Der how we watched and waited for the
big show; and how on the morning of
the day they were to be in our town, the
rain poured down all the forenoon, and
the show wagons-none of the circuses
travelled by rail in those days-did not
begin to arrive before noon. The
how had to cross the Wisconsin river
at Merrimack and then climb the bluffs.
Before they began to arrive rumors
we're rife of bridges being swept away
oy the flood. and of the elephants hav-
ing broken them down; and of wagons
stuck in the mud on the other side of
the bluffs. Things looked pretty blue
to us kids about that time. However,
the wagons began to arrive and the
elephants appeared; and although there
was no street parade, it being too late
after they arrived and they barely had
time to raise the big tent and get ready
for the afternoon performance-us kids
Toasted our eyes upon the elephants,
the camels and the tall giraffe, before
the shown. All or nearly all of the
wagons arrived and although the af-
ternoon performance did not begin on
time, the afternoon progrsm was given.
We saw the great show and this was
red letter day for a good many of
US
During the following year Mabie's
circus came to town, and | had the
supreme pleasure of seeing that show
Of course had no money to appropri-
ate for that purpose; kids in those days
were not allowed spending money ad
libitum. But where there is a will there
is way, and | found a way to go to
the show. My chum and | were on the
ground early, on show day, and stood
around looking for an opportunity to
offer our services. And as it happened
we did not have very long to wait, IN
til man came out of the tent and sent
US after pail of water. We got the
water all right and delivered it in the
tent, and were passed into the show
These were one-ring show g. think the
one ring circus was the only circus of
those old days.
Mr.. Ringing says: "Our first per-
Torrance was in the jail yard in Bara-
boo," Now, unless my memory is grea
ly at fault, the Ringing boys show bu
siness was organized long before the
Civil war, as early as 1858, or
norbaps l957 7 think IF 7 wara in Por