Download or read book America s Greatest Circus Train written by Bruce Nelson and published by Heimburger House Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-08-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: America's Greatest Circus Train, a 208-page hardbound, is authored by Bruce Nelson, a career transportation professional and historian. This all-color 10” x10” book brings back the days when the colorful Circus Train ran from the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, through both Wisconsin and Illinois, delighting thousands of spectators. The new book features 335 mostly color photographs and illustrations, and has been in development for more than 10 years. In text and photographs the book captures the color and excitement of the Circus Train, how it originated, its passengers, contents, loading and unloading of wagons, rail routes and planning, and finally how it faded away. “Railfans, circus enthusiasts, former spectators at the Circus Parades and children of all ages will appreciate the detailed documentation this volume presents,” says Don Heimburger, publisher. The steam- and diesel-operated Circus Train was the source of the historic circus wagons used in the Milwaukee and Chicago circus parades that drew millions of spectators between 1965 and 2003. Over the years, the train consisted of up to 29 vintage cars carrying hundreds of guests and almost 90 historic horse-drawn wagons. Pulled at times by restored steam locomotives and at others by the most modern of diesels, the train operated over six different railroads using eight primary routes covering hundreds of miles per year. People in towns and cities all along the train's route anticipated the annual event. The Circus Parade was once the highlight of the summer season in Milwaukee, capturing the imagination of adults and children throughout the surrounding states and the world. Like the days of yesteryear, when a number of carnivals and circuses moved across the country by rail, the Museum's Circus Train presented an image of the past, thrilling crowds wherever it went. The Circus Parade—and later the train—began when a major sponsor, the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, agreed to underwrite them. The Circus Train first appeared with its vintage cars in 1965, and ran until 2003, with several lapses. During the years, the train was routed over several railroads in Illinois and Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Road, the Chicago & North Western, the Wisconsin Central, the Canadian Pacific, the Canadian National and the Wisconsin & Southern. “The trips required an inordinate amount of planning by the Museum and the railroads,” says author Nelson, including running time, stops and viewing locations, meeting schedules, obtaining water for the steam-operated runs, and care of the wagons and animals. The new book contains a Foreword by Fred Dahlinger Jr., one-time director of the Robert L. Parkinson Library and the Research Center at the Circus World Museum, and a well-known circus historian. Dahlinger is now curator of circus history at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Florida. The Circus World Museum, operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society, began in 1959 to collect, preserve and present circus history. Today the museum owns the foremost collection of large circus and carnival pieces in the United States, including wagons, railcars and memorabilia. It also owns the former Ringling Bros. Circus railroad car shops in Baraboo.
Download or read book The Circus Train written by Amita Parikh and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-12-06 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: International Bestseller and #1 LibraryReads Pick Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl’s coming-of-age during the darkest of times. “A powerful reminder that to live is not just to survive, but to be seen and known for ourselves.” —Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward? 1938. Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena—who uses a wheelchair after a childhood bout with polio—yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, her mind stronger than the limitations placed on her by society. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. As World War II escalates around them, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist’s apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and made to perform in a town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself.
Download or read book Battle for the Big Top written by Les Standiford and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2021-06-15 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Les Standiford takes us under the big top and behind the curtain in this richly researched and thoroughly engaging narrative that captures all of the entrepreneurial intrigue and spirit of the American circus.” —Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Devil in the Grove Millions have sat under the “big top,” watching as trapeze artists glide and clowns entertain, but few know the captivating stories behind the men whose creativity, ingenuity, and determination created one of our country’s most beloved pastimes. In Battle for the Big Top, New York Times–bestselling author Les Standiford brings to life a remarkable era when three circus kings—James Bailey, P. T. Barnum, and John Ringling—all vied for control of the vastly profitable and influential American Circus. Ultimately, the rivalry of these three men resulted in the creation of an institution that would surpass all intentions and, for 147 years, hold a nation spellbound. Filled with details of their ever-evolving showmanship, business acumen, and personal magnetism, this Ragtime-like narrative will delight and enchant circus-lovers and anyone fascinated by the American experience.
Download or read book The American Circus written by Susan Weber and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A showcase of the "golden age" of the circus in America
Download or read book The Boundless written by Kenneth Oppel and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-04-22 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A humorously titled small book whose 360 degree spiral binding makes its contents impossible to view.
Download or read book The Great Circus Train Wreck of 1918 written by Richard M Lytle and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-30 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What really happened on the circus train in 1918? Read the story of this tragedy for the entertainment industry of the time. In the cool, pre-dawn hours on a June night in 1918, a train engineer closed his cab window as he chugged toward Hammond, Indiana. He drifted to sleep, and his train bore down on the idle Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus Train. Soon after, the sleeping engineer's locomotive plowed into the circus train. In the subsequent wreckage and blaze, more than two hundred circus performers were injured and eighty-six were killed, most of whom were interred in a mass grave in the Showmen's Rest section of Chicago's Woodlawn Cemetery. Join local historian Richard Lytle as he recounts, in the fullest retelling to date, the details of this tragedy and its role in the overall evolution and demise of a unique entertainment industry.
Download or read book The Young Acrobat of the Great North American Circus written by Horatio Alger (Jr.) and published by . This book was released on 1900 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Railroads Across North America written by Claude Wiatrowski and published by Voyageur Press. This book was released on 2007-09-15 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first steam-powered locomotives of the early nineteenth century to the high-speed commuter trains of today, the American railroad has been a great engine powering the nations growth and industry. This book celebrates the glory and grandeur of that legacy with a lavish tour of the history of the American railroad and the culture surrounding it. Generously illustrated with vintage photographs, modern images, maps, timetables, tickets, brochures, and all manner of memorabilia, this volume offers a fascinating look at the rail industrys beginnings and development, as well as its place in American history. From the might of the major rail companies and their empires to the romance of rail travel, this is the full and fabulously colorful story of the industry that moved a nation--and stirs our imaginations to this day.
Download or read book The Circus Moves by Rail written by Tom Parkinson and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Peru written by Kreig A. Adkins and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In April 1884, Ben Wallace, the owner of the local livery, opened the season of his new circus in Peru and billed it as Wallace and Companys Great Worlds Menagerie and International Circus. It was an instant success and soon grew to be one of the largest and most renowned circuses in American history. Over the next 50 years, many circuses found a home in Peru. Under the direction of the American Circus Corporation, an industry was created in Peru that employed as many as 4,500 people. Circuses like the Hagenbeck-Wallace, John Robinson, and Sells-Floto/Buffalo Bills Wild West Show departed Peru by rail each spring, along with some of the best acts from around the world, including Terrell the Lion King Jacobs; the worlds favorite clown, Emmett Kelly; and animal trainer Clyde Beatty, who played himself in 12 Hollywood movies. In 1929, Ringling Brothers purchased the American Circus Corporation. As the country sank into the Depression, fewer circuses left Peru each season. In 1941, Ringling Brothers closed its winter quarters in Peru, ending an era.
Download or read book The Train of States written by Peter Sis and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2007-08-21 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Sís is an internationally acclaimed author, artist, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. He also studied at the Royal College of Art in London. His picture books for children include Play, Mozart, Play!; the Caldecott Honor Books Tibet: Through the Red Box and Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei; the New York Times Best Illustrated Book Tree of Life: Charles Darwin; and several popular books inspired by his own children, such as Madlenka and Fire Truck. He has also illustrated bestselling books written by Jack Prelutsky, among them Scranimals and The Dragons are Singing Tonight.
Download or read book The Circus Fire written by Stewart O'Nan and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2008-12-10 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Emily, Alone and Henry, Himself brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of tragedy and heroism—the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. It was a midsummer afternoon, halfway through a Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus performance, when the big top caught fire. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline; in seconds it was burning out of control. More than 8,000 people were trapped inside, and the ensuing disaster would eventually take 167 lives. Steward O'Nan brings all his narrative gifts to bear on this gripping account of the great Hartford circus fire of 1944. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, O'Nan skillfully re-creates the horrific events and illuminates the psychological oddities of human behavior under stress: the mad scramble for the exits; the perilous effort to maneuver animals out of danger; the hero who tossed dozens of children to safety before being trampled to death. Brilliantly constructed and exceptionally moving, The Circus Fire is history at its most compelling.
Download or read book The Circus in Winter written by Cathy Day and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2005-07-06 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over a half century, a small Indiana town hosts a circus troupe during the off-seasons in linked stories “as graceful as any acrobat’s high-wire act” (San Francisco Chronicle). A Story Prize Finalist From 1884 to 1939, the Great Porter Circus made the unlikely choice to winter in an Indiana town called Lima, a place that feels as classic as Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, and as wondrous as a first trip to the Big Top. In Lima, an elephant can change the course of a man's life—or the manner of his death. Jennie Dixianna entices men with her dazzling Spin of Death and keeps them in line with secrets locked in a cedar box. The lonely wife of the show’s manager has each room of her house painted like a sideshow banner, indulging her desperate passion for a young painter. And a former clown seeks consolation from his loveless marriage in his post-circus job at Clown Alley Cleaners. In this collection of linked stories spanning decades, Cathy Day follows the circus people into their everyday lives and brings the greatest show on earth to the page. “[An] exquisite story collection.” —The Washington Post “Often funny, always graceful, and rich with a mix of historical and imaginative detail.” —Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried “Sublimely imaginative and affecting.” —The Boston Globe
Download or read book Circus Dreams written by Lynn Goldsmith and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Great Circus Parade brings circus history back to life. The wagons that rolled down the streets of Europe as well as America 100 years ago to announce that the circus had come to town, roll again. It is a week-long celebration that starts off in Baraboo, Wisconsin, home of the Circus Wold Museum, where the wagons have been restored and are on public display. Draft-horse teams come from all parts of the country to load the wagons on to vintage flatcars in turn-of-the-century style. The circus train travels across Wisconsin and Illinois for two days and arrives in Milwaukee to a showground set with animal petting zoos, horse tents, bandwagons, and the Big Top. For three days people come to see the wagons and share the circus atmosphere. On Sunday, the seventh day, the Great Circus Parade marches down the main street: 700 horses, 150 wagons, including the spectacular 40-horse hitch, 250 clowns, a kingdom of wild animals escorted by red-coated outriders, scores of brassy wagon-top and marching bands, hundreds of glittering costumed participants - making this one of America's greatest events.
Download or read book The Night Circus written by Erin Morgenstern and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2011-09-13 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding novel that captured the world's imagination. • "Part love story, part fable ... defies both genres and expectations." —The Boston Globe The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.
Download or read book Wild Weird and Wonderful written by Mark Sloan and published by Quantuck Lane Press& the Mill rd. This book was released on 2003 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Remarkable period photographs by F. W. Glasier capture the colorful world of the Big Top in early twentieth-century America, portraying an array of parades, tent raisings, circus spectaculars, and the everyday lives of the performers.
Download or read book The Little Engine That Could written by Watty Piper and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-09-27 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." Discover the inspiring story of the Little Blue Engine as she makes her way over the mountain in this beloved classic—the perfect gift to celebrate the special milestones in your life, from graduations to birthdays and more! The kindness and determination of the Little Blue Engine have inspired millions of children around the world since the story was first published in 1930. Cherished by readers for over ninety years, The Little Engine That Could is a classic tale of the little engine that, despite her size, triumphantly pulls a train full of wonderful things to the children waiting on the other side of a mountain.
