Circus Trains--The Day the Circus came to Postville, 1915

This mural is painted on the side of what used to be the Postville locker building.

In September, 1915, the show played to almost 18,000 people at a matinee. The Ringling brothers had purchased the Barnum and Bailey circus from the James A. Bailey estate for $410,000 in 1907 and decided to operate the original Ringling and the Barnum and Bailey circuses as two separate shows for the time. The Ringlings voted to put John, the youngest brother, as head of the Barnum and Bailey show.

There were valid reasons for the Ringling brothers to take a chance and move their massive extravaganza into such a small town as Postville. First, it had a great reputation as a circus town, based on the fine crowds the Gollmar Bros. show pulled here. Secondly, Postville is strategically located in the center of Clayton, Allamakee, Winneshiek and Fayette counties. And, Postville was at the junction of the Rock Island and Milwaukee railroads. As the circus would usually play Oelwein the day before Postville and Anamosa, the Rock Island to the Milwaukee line to go to Anamosa. The brothers decided to take a chance.

The first section train pulled into the siding from Oelwein at 2 o'clock in the morning. It was a short haul from Oelwein and the show was early for a change. Section one had 15 flats, two horse cars, two sleepers and 45 wagons, of which 24 were cage wagons.

Section two came in at 6 a.m. and had ten flat cars, six horse cars, five sleepers and 28 cars brightly painted in red, green and silver.

Section three arrived at 6:30 and had 13 flat cars, five horse cars, 36 wagons, two chariots and a police patrol wagon.

The final section arrived at 7 with five stock cars, five horse cars and ten sleepers.

By this time the tracks and side tracks were bulging at the seams in the little town. As soon as a section was unloaded, it was switched to the Ridley siding seven miles east of Postville. The circus trappings were unloaded by 9 o'clock. Then the circus excursion trains started to arrive from as far north as the Twin Cities, as far west as Mason City, as far east as Madison, Wis., and as far south as Dubuque.

The town ran out of water, so the circus water wagons went eight miles to Clermont to replenish the supply.

The tents were up by 11 o'clock, including the Big Top, which was 520 feet long by 220 feet wide and seated 15,000 people comfortably. Also up were tents for the menagerie, side show, horses, ring stock, band, dining, ladies dressing, ballet, two candy stands, and three small tents. By the time the parade was to start at 11 o'clock and the show was ready, even walking or standing room was at a premium.

The parade was mammoth and beautiful - 27 elephants, 20 camels, 500 horses, five bands, 24 gaily-colored cage wagons.

It was a sight out of this world. When the steaming and belching calliope finally brought upthe end of the parade and the crowds, followed the parade back to the circus lot, Postville was a "disaster area."

All reserved tickets had been sold by noon. The brothers announced they would sell a few thousand more standing or sitting tickets around the hippodrome track so anyone who had come many miles by wagons and buggies and who would have to start home before dark would not be disappointed.

"Not for nothing, but I think if we had to go as far back as 1915 to reference "record" crowds, the industry was in trouble long before anyone realized, or wanted to admit it."