Circus History

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages..."

Miami County Circus Time Line

1884	Ben Wallace went into partnership with James Anderson.  Harness, wardrobe and other property belonging to W.C. Coup Circus sold at sale to Wallace.  April 26th marked the opening day for Wallace & Co.'s first circus.  The circus returned to the winter quarters after a successful season.
1885	An enlarged Wallace & Co. started the season and it was announced that Captain Thomas J. Ball would carry the whole show on a steamer and 4 model barges.  Show returned to winter quarters in December.
1886	An even bigger show went out on tour and Major Matt Leland was the general representative this year.  Jumbo, the giant black camel of the Sahara Desert, was in the spotlight and the show closed on September 30th in Peru.
1889	Sullivan and Eagle, carriage builders from Peru, constructed two chariots for Wallace & Co.  The ads read "Dare-devil, Professor W.W. McEwen and his daily trip to the clouds."  Back to the winter quarters in the fall.
1890	More wagons and stock, including 3 more elephants added to show.  Circus returned to winter in Peru after a long season.
1891	Anderson sold out to Wallace during season.  Wallace purchased location of the second winter quarters.  Circus in new quarters.
1892	Name of the show changed this year to "Cook and Whitby's European Circus, Museum and Menagerie".  At Richland Center, Wisconsin, train wreck derailed five cars and 30 horses were killed.  Wintered in Peru.
1893	The name was still changed this year, but was advertised as The Great Wallace Show combined with Cook & Whiteby.  More equipment was added, making it a 30-car show.  Returned to winter quarters after season.
1895	The title of the show was back to the Great Wallace Show and the animals carried this year were 5 elephants, 5 camels, 2 yak, 2 llamas, 4 ostriches, 1 sacred ox and 3 zebras.  Returned to winter quarters after a successful season.
1896	The Wallace Show traveled 19,280 miles and visited 22 states.  December brought the circus back to Peru to begin preparation for next season.
1897	The show was out a total of 38 weeks.  15,000 miles of railroad was traveled and 25 different trains were used.  After covering 17 states, the circus came back to the winter quarters.
1898	Diamond, the mammoth elephant at the head of the Wallace herd, died at the winter quarters.  He was the first elephant owned by Wallace.  Prince, another elephant, killed his keeper in Wisconsin.  Circus returns to Peru in November.
1899	Wallace purchased the La Pearl Show and was able to obtain by this means a big hippo that so many showmen wanted.  Show comes back to winter quarters for the winter.
1901	Elephant barn burns at the winter quarters right after return of circus.
1903	A train accident in Durand, Michigan killed 24 men, 1 elephant and 3 camels. Another accident in July demolished 2 sleeping cars causing the death of 2 men and 7 horses.  After this terrible year the circus limped back to Peru.
1907	Ben Wallace acquired the Carl Hagenbeck Circus.  This acquisition gave Wallace a larger herd of performing elephants, polar bear act and some excellent wagons.  With this larger circus and a successful tour behind them, everyone came home to winter in Peru.
1908	On June 25th, a freight train rammed into the train and destroyed a bandwagon and several cook house wagons.  After another long year, the circus came back to Peru for the winter.
1909	A grateful crew returned to Peru this year thankful that no major disasters had occurred.
1910	The Wallace winter quarters was the scene of two sales during the summer of the Norris and Rowe Circus.  The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus went out in April and returned in October to the winter quarters.
1913	This was the year of the Peru flood in which Wallace suffered greatly, financially and otherwise.  An aging Wallace sold his show in May while it was out on the road.  The title was sold as well as the equipment; however, Ben retained all land including the winter quarters.  The quarters were rented this year by C.E. Cory, a nephew of Wallace, who was secretary-treasurer of the syndicate that purchased the shows.  1913 was the last year the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus wintered in Peru until 1924.
1914	Jerry Mugivan and Bert Bowers rented winter quarters here and brought both of their circuses, Howes Great London Shows and the Robinson's Famous Shows.
1915-1916	No shows rented the Wallace quarters during these winters.
1917-1920	Mugivan and Bowers rented the quarters for the John Robison circus during these winters.
1921	Ben Wallace died in March and in October, the American Circus Corporation purchased the winter quarters and the railroad car shops in north Peru.  Only the John Robinson show returned to Peru and much work started on the quarters to accommodate more then one show.
1922-1923	Sells-Floto Circus and the John Robinson Circus came back to Peru to spend the winter.
1924	Only the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus returned to Peru for the winter.
1925	Three A.C.C. units went out with the idea that no street parades would be given.  However, they were fully equipped to parade with the exception of the steam calliopes.  After about a month, the policy was dropped in hopes of restoring the sagging circus industry.  Hagenbeck-Wallace returned to Peru for the winter.
1926-1927	Hagenbeck-Wallace and the Sells-Floto Circuses return to Peru for the winter.
1928	All the circuses enjoyed the spring and the big money of the late 20's.  Hagenbeck-Wallace, Sells-Floto and John Robinson all returned to the Peru winter quarters.
1929	By now, Peru was being shown on maps as the "Circus City" and the winter quarters attracted many visitors during the winter and early spring.  In September of this year, John Ringling purchased the entire A.C.C. holdings, including the Peru quarters and farms.  All the shows returned to Peru for the winter.
1930	All three of the shows went out for the season, however the big depression forced all of the six Ringling owned shows into an early close.  All three shows returned to Peru for the winter.
1931	The Robinson Shows were shelved, but the other two went out on the road and returned to Peru in the fall.
1932	Sells-Floto Circus was shelved, but Hagenbeck-Wallace went out on the road and returned to Peru in the fall.
1933	A larger 40-car Hagenbeck-Wallace has a very profitable year and returns to Peru after the season.
1934	A 48-car Hagenbeck-Wallace show took to the road with many of the old parade wagons from Peru and Sarasota.  The show came back to Peru in the fall.
1935	A much smaller show left to go out with a very long name.  The Hagenbeck-Wallace, Fore-Paugh, Sells, Combined Circus left in the spring and was shelved when it returned to Peru for the winter.
1937	With the depression over, the Hagenbeck-Wallace title and equipment were leased by E. Arlington and F. Hatch then sold out to H. Bary, who then made it a successful season.  The show returned to Peru for the winter months.
1938	The 1938 recession killed off just about every show on the road that season and the Hagebeck-Wallace happened to be in California at the time. The circus's equipment was sent to Baldwin Park, California and then was scattered.  It is believed that none of this equipment ever returned to Peru.  During the season, materials from other shows ended up at the Peru quarters. The baggage stock cars with the horses were sent to Peru early in the season due to Ringling ordering tractors to do the jobs of the baggage stock.
1939	Ringling eliminated baggage stock so the stock at Peru was sold and cars stored in the north Peru rail yards.
1941	During the week of November 23, 126 circus wagons were burned at the Peru winter quarters.  The burning of the wagons climaxed the removal of wild animal training arenas and cages from the barns, razing the smaller sheds and making the structures ready for normal farm use.  It was announced that the local farm would be used as a "feeder" for the Sarasota, Florida, winter quarters.
1944	The 500 acre farm was bought by Valley Farms, Inc. from the Ringling Bros. Circus.