2. The Ringling Brothers circus was born in Wisconsin
In 1884 Barnum and Bailey’s Circus was immensely popular, but it couldn’t get to every town and village which wanted to view it, and as a result, numerous smaller circuses were spawned across the United States, especially in the Midwest. That year five brothers by the name of Ringling opened a circus in the town of Baraboo, Wisconsin. The Ringling Brothers (there were seven in total, only five involved with the enterprise) adopted a strategy of buying smaller circuses in the area, which had the happy effect of both expanding their own show and eliminating competition. Originally traveling by wagon caravan, by 1888 Ringling Brothers had their own circus train and a growing reputation in the Midwest, which caught the eye of Barnum and Bailey’s.
Representatives of the two circuses met and agreed to a territorial division, with the two shows establishing that they would not encroach upon the other’s turf. For Barnum and Bailey, the agreement served to keep their main competitor out of the biggest eastern markets, which included Madison Square Garden in New York. The Ringling Brothers, on the other hand, obtained half interest in another circus operated by Bailey’s – their first inroads into obtaining control of the entire operation. As both circuses offered what appeared to be genial and wholesome entertainment, their owners maneuvered behind the scenes to seize control of the competitor, circling each other like the cats in their big tents.