Volume 16 , Issue 36

100 Years Ago, 20 October 1914, Tuesday

According to the front page headlines of The Daily Ardmoreite, dated Tuesday, October 20, 1914, "Big Show Is In the City Today." Barnum and Bailey's tented aggregation was showing to good crowds the afternoon of Tuesday, 20 October 1914.

Barnum and Bailey's great show was in the city of Ardmore, Oklahoma, 20 October 1914, and the afternoon was showing to a good sized crowd at the show grounds in south Ardmore.

The street parade was a dazzling affair. The Stock was all looking well after a long season, and with the show was fully up to its former reputation.

The circus had outdone itself. Trite as it may sound to say that it was bigger and better than ever. It was actually so, and the street parade of that morning and the performance of that afternoon was transformed by doubting Thomases.

The circus came to Ardmore from Oklahoma City upon its own four special trains of 85 cars. The first section conveying the stables, commissary department and the preliminary essentials to the circus encampment arrived at daybreak closely followed by the remaining trains.

With breakfast out of the way the work of getting the parade under way started. Meanwhile the streets over which the cavalcade was to pass filled up with expectant thousands, to whom a circus parade was a joy.

As thousands listened for the first crisp blasts of the circus bugles, the sound came, and a ripple spread bringing onlookers on tiptoe.

The tune of a measured and approaching rumble was heard. Something colorful swung into view. It was the van of the circus parade. Bands blared, horses caparisoned in crimson and gold caracoled and danced spiritedly. Closely padlocked cages, all gilt and glitter, creaked past, doubtless carrying the most ferocious freight. Then there were open dens and cages displaying types of wild animal life, almost everything of any standing in the natural history line being in the long column, either openly displayed or in closed cages, or moving majestically under their own steam.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

---