Thursday Thirteen 165: Circus Train 2

In Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal, there was an article about the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI. CWM loaned 15 circus wagons as well as other Circus memorabelia and research materials to the production crew of the upcoming "Water For Elephants." Based on the novel by Sara Gruen, the film stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, and will hit theaters sometime in 2011. I posted thirteen refurbished circus wagons in a previous post in which I shared a bit of info about the Great Circus Train. Here are thirteen more pictures taken during the train's stop in Madison, July 2000.


























Yes, they had elephants on the train in 2000, which they deboarded during the stop so people could see them, and to give the animals a bit of fresh air.


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)
Jennifer Leeland * Elise Logan * Colleen * Maddy Barone
Stephanie Bennett * Adelle Laudan * Alice Audrey
Shelley Munro * Anne * Kristen * Pamela * Darla M Sands
Paige Tyler * Robin Rotham * CountryDew * GrayWolfie
A. Catherine Noon * Tatiana Caldwell * Janice Seagraves
K.S. Manning * Jill Conyers


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Thursday Thirteen 160: Circus Train

Once upon a time, there was a magical train that, for two days every July, wound its way through Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois on its way to Milwaukee.


This train had the power to evoke long-dormant memories, even as it created new ones.


It had the power to bridge generations, creating a cherished bond between young and old. That's my dad in the yellow shirt on the left in July 2000, a year before he died. He remembered his older sisters pulling him all the way up town in his little red wagon to see the circus train unload.


Older generations brought their children and grandchildren to see the brightly painted wagons, remembering bygone days, when the circus was held under the big top with live music, not in an arena filled with stale air and pre-recorded music.


They recalled the first time they saw exotic animals from far away lands.


They remembered how excited they were to watch the wagons roll into town, or see them being unloaded from trains by elephants.


Wagons depicted elaborate scenes from nursery rhymes, mythology, the Bible, as well as the Old West and countries on continents a world away. (This is one of my favorites—it is one of three Mother Goose wagons.)


People marveled at gilded and mirrored wagons designed to reflect light and dazzle an intrigued public.


They exclaimed over the miniature organs and calliopes.


They thrilled at the sound of the bell wagon.


There were once thousands upon thousands of circus wagons criss-crossing the United States in nearly 3,000 different circuses. Today, only a few hundred wagons survive.


A collection of 210 original wagons and vehicles are housed at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin—the former home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (1884-1918). The Ringling Bros. purchased the Barnum & Bailey Show in 1907 and merged the two in 1919. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is the largest surviving circus company in America.


The site also houses a large reference museum and collection of circus memorabilia that includes photos, journals, business records and more than 9,000 original circus posters.


During the summer season, there are daily performances that include acrobats, aerialists, jugglers, magic shows, and more.


I hope you have enjoyed your journey with the Circus Train today. Please let me know if you would like to see more!


LINKS TO OTHER THURSDAY THIRTEENS:
(Please leave your link if this is your first visit!)

Darla M Sands * Colleen * Alice Audrey * Shelley Munro
CountryDew * Adelle Laudan * Janice Seagraves
Inez Kelley * Robin L Rotham * Sasha Devlin
Tatiana Caldwell * Paige Tyler * Harriet * Janet * Kristen
Jennifer McKenzie * KS Manning * Elise Logan


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Ringling Bros. Bell Wagon

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that special guests for the WCO's 4th of July concert included the Ringling Brothers Silver Bells Wagon. We had arrived late enough on the Square (about 3:30pm) that we weren't able to find room on the lawn directly in front of the orchestra, but early enough to find a decent spot in the next section over, near the corner of Pinckney and East Washington -- which ended up being right in front of this historic circus wagon. Though we could see it from where we sat, we nonetheless wandered over for a closer view and to take a few pictures.

Here's what the Circus World Museum website says about the Bell Wagon:

In addition to being a moving visual spectacle, circus parades were significant audio events. Music components were inserted in the parade to attract and entertain the viewers. Several bandwagons carried small groups of bandsmen playing stirring marches. Several circuses arranged to have large pipe organs in their parades, while a select few included wagons fitted with a chime of bells.

The Ringling Bros. Bell Wagon is the best example of the style ever fabricated. The nine large bells were cast by Campbell Bros.’ Centennial Bell Foundry of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Artisans with the Milwaukee Ornamental Carving Company created the heroic carvings that decorated the vehicle, which is largely a chassis to transport the heavy bells. The Moellers of Baraboo, Wisconsin, cousins to the Ringlings, assembled the parts in their shop. It was the first large parade wagon constructed entirely new for the Ringling brothers, underscoring their commitment to providing quality music to their parade observers. It was featured in Ringling Bros. World’s Greatest Shows marches from 1892 through about 1908.

Retired from service for over two decades, the bell wagon was reactivated for use on the 1934 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus and again in 1941, 1942 and 1952-1956 on Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows. The wagon remains an asset of the show and is on loan to Circus World Museum through the courtesy of Kenneth Feld and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The bell wagon measures 18’-5” long and weighs 10,380 pounds.

Vintage Circus Wagon

Vintage Circus Wagon (July 2003)

The Great Circus Parade used to be an annual summer event held in Milwaukee in early July. The vintage train wagons are stored and on display at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, the original summer home of the Biggest Show on Earth: the Barnum & Bailey Circus. At the end of June/early July, the wagons would be loaded onto a train that would wind across southern Wisconsin into the northern tip of Illinois, stopping in Madison, Janesville, Rockford and a few small towns along the way, before eventually making Milwaukee. There they would be on display for a week before the big parade.

Sadly, it has become too expensive for the train to make this annual trip, and 2003 saw not only the last Circus Train, but the last parade in Milwaukee. The parade has been held in Baraboo the past two summers, which means less travel expenses, but because they have held it the same weekend as Rhthym & Booms in Madison, turnout has not been as high as expected so sadly there will be no parade in 2006. Of course, parade planners seem oblivious to the fact that, if they want bigger attendence, holding the parade around the 4th of July probably isn't a good idea. Thousands flock to Madison from across southern Wisconsin and surrounding states. I know many here in Madison would love to attend the parade, but are loathe to do so the day of Rhthym & Booms. Sure, you could easily attend both, if you don't mind the traffic from Baraboo to Madison, but most prefer a lazy day at the park, listening to the various bands before the fireworks extravaganza.

Hopefully Circus World Museum will survive and there will one day be a circus train again. It truly is a wonderous site to see!