94-776: The Tampa Southern Railroad was a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) originally running from Uceta Yard in Tampa south to Palmetto , Bradenton , and Sarasota with a later extension southeast to Fort Ogden in the Peace River valley built shortly after. It was one of many rail lines completed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s . Most of the remaining trackage (between Tampa and Bradenton) now serves as CSX Transportation 's Palmetto Subdivision . Another short portion just east of Sarasota also remains that
188-450: A unicycle club from The Bronx and the first ever African-American circus troupe, to perform unicycle basketball for 18 years with the circus. Performing unicyclists also included Ted Jorgensen . The company was taken public in 1969. In 1970, Feld's only son Kenneth joined the company and became a co-producer. The circus was sold to the Mattel company in 1971 for $ 40 million, with
282-495: A "multi-platform entertainment franchise". On September 29, 2023, after a six-year hiatus, the relaunched circus kicked off at Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana. The circus maintained two circus train -based shows, one each on its Red Unit and Blue Unit trains. Each train was a mile long with roughly 60 cars: 36 passenger cars, 4 stock cars and 20 freight. Rolling stock belonging to
376-528: A 6-year-old Siberian tiger named Suzy who had previously starred in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, escaped from a convoy of trucks transporting her from Florida to Memphis International Airport and was fatally shot by police after attacking a nearby dog. In 1952, Paramount Pictures released the Cecil B. DeMille production The Greatest Show on Earth , which traced the traveling show through
470-546: A bit more modern, having been upgraded in 1883. However, the sprawling ACL system needed larger and more modern facilities to handle locomotive overhauls and freight car building. By the 1920s the two largest shop sites were at South Rocky Mount, North Carolina and Waycross, Georgia , each of which employed about 2,000 workers. To handle extensions into Florida, in 1926 the ACL established the Uceta shops and yard outside of Tampa, Florida at
564-641: A boy had worked as a ticket seller for Hachaliah Bailey's show, had run the Barnum's American Museum from New York City since 1841 from the former Scudder's American Museum building. Besides building up the existing exhibits, Barnum brought in animals to add zoo-like elements, and a freak show . During this time, Barnum took the Museum on road tours, named "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling American Museum". The Museum burned down in July 1865. Though Barnum attempted to re-establish
658-409: A ceremony at Rome's Colosseum. Irving Feld immediately began making other changes to improve the quality and profitability of the show. Irvin got rid of the freak show so as not to capitalize on others' deformations and to become more family oriented. He got rid of the more routine acts. In 1968, with the craft of clowning seemingly neglected and with many of the clowns in their 50s, he established
752-435: A cost of $ 2 million. By the early 1900s the railroad had largely reached its final configuration and began to focus on upgrading its physical plant. By the 1920s the railroad's main line from Richmond, Virginia to Jacksonville, Florida had been double-tracked, which benefited the railroad during the 1920s when Florida boomed. In 1928 the ACL completed a line between Perry, Florida and Drifton, near Monticello, Florida ,
846-573: A hiatus from 2017 to 2023. They operate as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The circus started in 1919 when the Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth, a circus created by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey , was merged with the Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows . The Ringling brothers purchased Barnum & Bailey Ltd. in 1907 following Bailey's death in 1906, but ran the circuses separately until they were merged in 1919. After 1957,
940-705: A journalist who was writing about the Feld family, and of various animal rights groups such as PETA. After three years in Baraboo, the clown college operated at the Sarasota Opera House in Sarasota until 1998 before the program was suspended. In February 1999, the circus company started previewing Barnum's Kaleidoscape , a one ring, intimate, upscale circus performed under the tent. Designed to compete with similar upscale circuses such as Cirque du Soleil , Barnum's Kaleidoscape
1034-503: A name for themselves marketing and promoting D.C. area rock and roll shows. In 1959, Ringling Bros. started wintering in Venice, Florida . In late 1967, Irvin Feld , Israel Feld , and Judge Roy Mark Hofheinz of Texas, together with backing from Richard C. Blum , the founder of Blum Capital , bought the company outright from North and the Ringling family interests for $ 8 million at
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#17328519593531128-572: A plaintiff in the lawsuit. The circus then sued the animal rights groups under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in 2007, accusing the groups of conspiracy to harm its business and other illegal acts. In December 2012, the ASPCA agreed to pay the circus $ 9.2 million to settle its part of the lawsuit. The 14-year course of litigation came to an end in May 2014 when The Humane Society of
1222-544: A roughly rectangular trajectory through Ellenton before returning to the main line in Palmetto. A short spur to Terra Ceia, which is now abandoned, also existed near this area. South of Palmetto, the tracks crossed a trestle across the Manatee River and entered Bradenton. Bradenton's passenger depot (which still stands today and serves as a medical clinic) was built just south of the river. The tracks then turned southeast for
1316-445: A scaled-back, single-ring version of the show designed to serve smaller markets deemed incapable of supporting the three-ring versions. Many animal rights groups have criticized the circus for their treatment of animals over the years, saying that using them to perform is cruel and unnecessary. In 2004, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey were investigated following the death of a lion who died from heat and lack of water while
1410-613: A short distance and crossed the SAL's track before turning south again and into Sarasota near Fruitville . In 1928, a spur to the Payne Terminal at Hog Creek was built just north of the Sarasota passenger depot (which was located at Main Street and School Avenue). The Seaboard Air Line attempted to block the ACL from accessing the terminal since it had three spur tracks there that the ACL would have to cross. Since these spurs were on city property,
1504-542: A show that was truly immense, and combined all the elements of museum, menagerie , variety performance, concert hall, and circus", and considered it to potentially be "the Greatest Show on Earth", which subsequently became part of the circus's name. Independently of Castello and Coup, James Anthony Bailey had teamed up with James E. Cooper to create the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s. The Cooper and Bailey Circus became
1598-536: A six-year hiatus, a relaunched animal-free circus returned with its first show in Bossier City, Louisiana . Hachaliah Bailey appears to have established one of the earliest circuses in the United States after he purchased an African elephant , whom he named " Old Bet ", around 1806, just 13 years after John Bill Ricketts first brought the circus to the United States from Great Britain. P. T. Barnum , who as
1692-770: A week. In 1956, the swing span on the Manatee River trestle was replaced with the current bascule span. The bascule span was installed about 200 feet north of where the swing span was located and the Army Corps of Engineers realigned the navigation channel to pass through the new bascule. In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad merged with the Seaboard Air Line to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). Connections were established between
1786-524: Is Jumbo and its athletic teams are referred to as the "Jumbos". Barnum died in 1891 and Bailey then purchased the circus from his widow. Bailey continued touring the Eastern United States until he took his circus to Europe. That tour started on December 27, 1897, and lasted until 1902. Separately, in 1884, five of the seven Ringling brothers had started a small circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin . This
1880-469: Is now operated by Seminole Gulf Railway . The Tampa Southern Railroad was chartered on January 31, 1917, and incorporated on March 5, 1917, as a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), who already had a sizeable network in Florida. The officers of the new company were all ACL officers, and were reelected at several subsequent shareholders meetings. The Tampa Southern would principally compete with
1974-474: The Silver Meteor , the ACL launched its first streamlined train, the all-coach Champion . ACL invested heavily in its passenger fleet after World War II but passenger revenue fell from $ 28.5 million in 1946 to $ 14.1 million in 1959. Until its 1967 merger the railroad continued to maintain and improve its passenger service, even replacing old stations with new. All of ACL's New York - Florida trains ran on
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#17328519593532068-699: The Alafia River , TECO Energy 's Big Bend Power Station in southern Hillsoborough County , and Port Manatee in northern Manatee County . It also continues to serve the Tropicana Juice Plant in Bradenton, with Tropicana's Juice Train continuing to be the most consistent service on the line today. The main Tampa Southern Railroad tracks end near the Tropicana Plant in Bradenton. Although,
2162-709: The Civil War , and operated them as a network of independent companies. In 1897–98, most of the South Carolina lines in Walters' system were consolidated under the name of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company of South Carolina. In 1898, as the companies moved towards combining themselves into a single system, the lines in Virginia were combined into the new Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company of Virginia, and
2256-597: The Florida Special (ACL's premier, winter-only train) in New York City's Pennsylvania Station . Ringling Bros. and Barnum %26 Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus , Ringling Bros. , the Barnum & Bailey Circus , Barnum & Bailey , or simply Ringling , is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Earth . It and its predecessor have run shows from 1871, with
2350-654: The Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa . In 1993, the clown college was moved from the Venice Arena to Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 1995, the company founded the Center for Elephant Conservation (CEC). Clair George has testified in court that he worked as a consultant in the early 1990s for Kenneth Feld and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was involved in the surveillance of Janice Pottker ,
2444-926: The Pennsylvania Railroad north of Washington, D. C., then via the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad from Washington to Richmond. Tampa/St. Petersburg trains used ACL rails south of Richmond all the way to their destinations. Trains for Miami ran on the Florida East Coast Railway from Jacksonville to Miami, but after passenger service on the FEC effectively ended with a long-lasting strike in 1963, ACL transferred its Miami-bound trains to Seaboard rails at Auburndale, Florida . New York-Florida routes: Midwest-Florida routes: Other routes: In Preston Sturges' 1942 comedy The Palm Beach Story , main character Gerry Jeffers ( Claudette Colbert ) boards
2538-622: The Petersburg Railroad between Petersburg, Virginia , and a point near Weldon, North Carolina , founded in 1830. A route between Richmond, Virginia , and Petersburg was built by the Richmond & Petersburg Railroad , which was founded in 1836. In 1840 the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad , at the time known as the Wilmington and Raleigh and renamed in 1855, completed a route between Weldon and Wilmington, North Carolina . From Wilmington,
2632-464: The Richmond and Petersburg Railroad formally merged, and two years later the combined company took control of the ACL's routes south of Virginia and the Norfolk and Carolina Railroad , which operated from Norfolk, Virginia to Tarboro, North Carolina . These mergers created an ACL system reaching from southern Virginia to South Carolina and Georgia. Other small acquisitions took place in 1901, and in 1902
2726-567: The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College . Circus Williams, a circus in Europe was purchased for $ 2 million just to have its star animal trainer, Gunther Gebel-Williams , for the core of his revamped circus. Soon, he split the show into two touring units, Red and Blue, which could tour the country independently. The separate tours could also offer differing slates of acts and themes, enabling circus goers to view both tours where possible. . Also in 1968, Feld hired The King Charles Troupe ,
2820-782: The Seaboard Air Line Railroad 's (SAL) parallel Sarasota Subdivision that ran from Durant to Venice which had been serving Bradenton and Sarasota since 1903. The Tampa Southern's crews began work soon after incorporation and the company's leadership projected that trains could be running by the start of 1918. Bradenton granted a right-of-way through its city and land for a station and other supporting structures there in early January 1918. The first train from Tampa to Palmetto ran on December 5, 1918. The railroad reached Bradenton and used it as its terminus, carrying through Pullman sleepers from connecting Atlantic Coast Line trains. The tracks were completed to Sarasota by May 1924, and
2914-524: The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad . Much of the original ACL network has been part of CSX Transportation since 1986. The Atlantic Coast Line served the Southeast , with a concentration of lines in Florida. Numerous named passenger trains were operated by the railroad for Florida-bound tourists, with the Atlantic Coast Line contributing significantly to Florida's economic development in the first half of
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3008-540: The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad began operations in 1853 to Florence, South Carolina , where the Northeastern Railroad operated to Charleston, South Carolina . In 1871, the W&;W and the W&M (renamed the Wilmington, Columbia & Augusta) began using the Atlantic Coast Line name to advertise the two lines. An investor from Baltimore, William T. Walters , gained control of these separate railroads after
3102-630: The 12-mile extension to Hookerton was abandoned in 1933. The ACL's last major acquisition was the Atlanta, Birmingham and Coast Railroad , which it purchased in 1927, though the AB&;C was not merged into the ACL until 1945. Upon the formal incorporation of the ACL in 1900, an assessment was made of its repair and maintenance facilities. The oldest inherited shop site was at Wilmington, North Carolina , which dated to 1840. The shops in Florence, South Carolina were
3196-402: The 20th century. At the end of 1925, ACL operated 4,924 miles of road, not including its flock of subsidiaries; after some merging, mileage at the end of 1960 was 5,570 not including A&WP, CN&L, East Carolina, Georgia, Rockingham, and V&CS. In 1960, ACL reported 10,623 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 490 million passenger-miles. The earliest predecessor of the ACL was
3290-474: The ACL handled mostly seasonal agricultural products, but by World War II its freight traffic had become more diverse. During the 1950s, around 44% of all freight traffic consisted of manufactured and miscellaneous items, while bulk traffic like coal and phosphates also expanded during this time. During the 1950s, the ACL acquired some 13,000 new freight cars, to be used on high-speed trains offering reduced running times compared to earlier equipment. This allowed
3384-645: The ACL took over the Plant System , which operated numerous lines within Florida and Georgia. This same year the ACL took control of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad as well as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway , though the two were never merged into the ACL and were operated independently. The ACL acquired the East Carolina Railway in 1935, running south from Tarboro to Hookerton , although
3478-773: The Atlantic Coast Line's main yard, has since become an intermodal terminal and car storage facility. The connection with the A Line (the former ACL main line) was severed after the cessation of passenger service. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System , creating the CSX Corporation . The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation . The Seaboard Air Line's original route between Durant and Willow
3572-555: The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth are now combined into one record-breaking giant of all exhibitions." Charles E. Ringling died in 1926, but the circus flourished through the Roaring Twenties . John Ringling had the circus move its headquarters to Sarasota, Florida , in 1927. In 1929, the American Circus Corporation signed a contract to perform in New York City. John Ringling purchased American Circus,
3666-563: The Dixie Limited and the Palmetto. Most of the Fort Ogden extension was removed by 1949 since it did not generate the freight traffic the Atlantic Coast Line had hoped for. The line was truncated at Belspur just east of Fruitville. By 1949, the line had daily service from Tampa Union Station to Sarasota by the Atlantic Coast Line's West Coast Champion as well as a daily local passenger train. Two freight trains also ran to Sarasota six days
3760-505: The Feld family retained as management. After Walt Disney World opened near Orlando , Florida, in 1971, the circus attempted to cash in on the resulting tourism surge by opening Circus World theme park in nearby Haines City , which broke ground in April 1973. The theme park was expected to become the circus's winter home as well as to have the Clown College located there. Mattel placed
3854-523: The Manatee River (which was located a short distance upstream of both the Tampa Southern's bascule bridge and the Desoto Bridge ). The city of Bradenton unsuccessfully attempted to have the Seaboard Coast Line remove the Tampa Southern bridge instead since it went right through downtown Bradenton's waterfront. The Tampa Southern route (as well as the remaining SAL route south from Bradenton to Venice )
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3948-535: The Museum at another location in the city, it too burned down in 1868, and Barnum opted to retire from the museum business. In 1871, Dan Castello and William Cameron Coup persuaded Barnum to come out of retirement to lend his name, know-how, and financial backing to the circus they had already created in Delavan, Wisconsin . The combined show was named "P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome". As described by Barnum, Castello and Coup "had
4042-479: The Palmetto Subdivision continues south from here a short distance to Oneco along the former Seaboard line. In Oneco, it connects with Seminole Gulf Railway , who operates the remaining Seaboard tracks south through Sarasota. Seminole Gulf also operates a discontinuous segment of the Tampa Southern Railroad just east of Downtown Sarasota. It is part of their track from Sarasota to Matoaka. US 301 now runs on
4136-581: The Seaboard line before that line turned south towards Venice. Once out of Sarasota, the line turned southeast passing through Utopia before crossing the Myakka River and continuing through Honore and Sidell. It crossed the Seaboard Air Line Railroad 's Boca Grande Subdivision at Platt . The line then crossed Peace River just before merging with the ACL's Lakeland–Fort Myers Line at Southfort (just south of Fort Ogden). Today, Desoto County Road 761 runs along
4230-402: The Tampa Southern and the Seaboard route in a number of locations. Former Tampa Southern track from Bradenton to Matoaka was removed and the parallel east-west track through Fruitville was consolidated on to the former SAL track. The Tampa Southern track from Fruitville to Belspur would remain as a spur until the late 1970s. The merger also resulted in the removal of the SAL's swing bridge over
4324-569: The USDA by PETA, the company agreed to pay a $ 270,000 fine, the largest civil penalty ever assessed against an animal exhibitor under the Animal Welfare Act. In March 2015, Feld Entertainment announced it would stop using elephants in its shows by 2018, stating that the 13 elephants that were part of its shows would be sent to the circus's Center for Elephant Conservation , which at that time housed over 40 elephants. Feld stated that this action
4418-576: The United States and a number of other animal rights groups paid a $ 16 million settlement to the circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment . From 2007 to 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture conducted inspections of the circus's animals, facilities, and records, finding non-compliance with the agency's regulations. The allegations, as brought forth by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) included videotapes of
4512-450: The canvasmen, ushers and sideshow workers. The third section had 19 sleeping cars for the performers. On January 13, 1994, eighteen cars of the circus train derailed while traveling between St. Petersburg and Orlando . Ringling estimated that 150 employees were on board at the time of the accident; fifteen received minor injuries, and clown Ceslee Conkling and elephant trainer Ted Svertesky were killed. The animals were not injured due to
4606-421: The chief competitor to Barnum's circus. As Bailey's circus was outperforming his, Barnum sought to merge the circuses. The two groups agreed to combine their shows on March 28, 1881. Initially named "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United", it was eventually shortened to "Barnum and Bailey's Circus". Bailey
4700-519: The circus announced that all elephants would be retired in 2018 to the CEC, but Ringling accelerated the decision and retired the elephants in May 2016. Eight months after it retired the elephants, it was announced in January 2017, that the circus would do 30 more performances, lay off more than 462 employees between March and May 2017 and then close. The circus cited steeply declining ticket sales associated with
4794-450: The circus corporation up for sale in December 1973 despite its profit contributions, as Mattel as a whole had a $ 29.9 million loss in 1972. The park's opening was delayed until February 1974. Venture Out in America, Inc., a Gulf Oil recreational subsidiary, bought the combined shows in January 1974, and the opening was further pushed back to 1975. While the Circus Showcase for Circus World opened on February 21, 1974 , Venture Out placed
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#17328519593534888-414: The circus displayed the reporting mark "RBBX". The Blue and Red Tours presented a full three-ring production for two years each, taking off the month of December, visiting alternating major cities each year. Each train presented a different "edition" of the show, using a numbering scheme that dates back to circus origins in 1871 – the first year of P.T. Barnum's show. The Blue Tour presented
4982-416: The circus has continued to be a part of Feld Entertainment , an international entertainment firm headed by his son Kenneth Feld , with its headquarters in Ellenton, Florida . In May 2017, with weakening attendance, many animal rights protests, and high operating costs , the circus performed its final animal show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and closed indefinitely. In September 2023, after
5076-415: The circus no longer exhibited under its own portable " big top " tents, instead using permanent venues such as sports stadiums and arenas. In 1967, Irvin Feld and his brother Israel, along with Houston judge Roy Hofheinz , bought the circus from the Ringling family. In 1971, the Felds and Hofheinz sold the circus to Mattel , buying it back from the toy company in 1981. Since the death of Irvin Feld in 1984,
5170-499: The circus train was traveling through the Mojave Desert . In 1998, the United States Department of Agriculture filed charges against Ringling Bros. for forcing a sick elephant to perform. Ringling paid a $ 20,000 fine. In 2000, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and other animal groups sued the circus, alleging that it violated the Endangered Species Act by its treatment of Asian elephants in its circus. These allegations were based primarily on
5264-426: The circus would be relaunched in 2023, without animal performances. In early 2022, the circus began auditioning artists for a retooled circus. More than 1,000 acts applied, and auditions were held in Paris , Las Vegas , Ethiopia , and Mongolia . In May 2022, Feld Entertainment announced that the circus would resume operations in the fall of 2023 with a tour of 50 cities. The circus said the new show would debut as
5358-539: The circuses separately until 1919. By that time, Charles Edward Ringling and John Nicholas Ringling were the only remaining brothers of the five who founded the circus. They decided that it was too difficult to run the two circuses independently because of labour shortages and complications to rail travel brought about by American involvement in World War I, and on March 29, 1919, "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows" debuted in New York City. The posters declared, "The Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows and
5452-447: The city authorized their removal to so the ACL to build their spur to the terminal. With optimism for the company's petition to the Interstate Commerce Commission , in 1925 surveyors were plotting a line beyond Sarasota to connect with Florida's east coast. By 1927, the line was extended southeast from Sarasota to Fort Ogden in Desoto County. From the Sarasota depot, the line turned east through Fruitville, briefly running directly beside
5546-473: The even-numbered editions on a two-year tour, beginning each even-numbered year, and the Red Tour presented the odd-numbered editions on the same two-year tour, beginning each odd-numbered year. In the 1950s, there was one gigantic train system comprising three separate train loads that brought the main show to the big cities. The first train load consisted of 22 cars and had the tents and the workers to set them up. The second section comprised 28 cars and carried
5640-537: The fast-emerging military industry in the Southeast. In 1942, Champion McDowell Davis (nicknamed "Champ") became president of the ACL after starting with the railroad in the 1890s as a messenger boy. He immediately began an improvement program that finished in the mid-1950s, including the rebuilding of several hundred miles of track, the installation of modern signaling systems and improvements to freight yards . The railroad spent at least $ 268 million in upgrading its physical plant during this period. On June 30, 1955,
5734-401: The first passenger train arrived in Sarasota in December of that year. The Tampa Southern began at the ACL's Uceta Yard in Tampa and ran south, paralleling the east shore of Tampa Bay. Just northeast of Palmetto, a loop was constructed through Ellenton to serve agricultural growers. Known as the "Ellenton Belt Line", the now abandoned loop branched off the main line near Rubonia and ran in
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#17328519593535828-446: The former right of way from the Peace River to Fort Ogden. Freight stations were built at Belspur, Palmersville, Honore, and Sidell. The extension included a spur to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Sarasota headquarters near Fruitville. The extension also served Palmer Farms and their packinghouse at Belspur. Adrian Honore, brother of local socialite Bertha Honore Palmer , also owned significant amounts of land along
5922-594: The head elephant trainer and the animal superintendent backstage repeatedly hitting elephants with bullhooks just before the animals would enter the arena for performances. A tiger trainer was videotaped beating tigers during dress rehearsals. An inspection report alleged that a female Asian elephant, Banko, was forced to perform at a show in Los Angeles despite a diagnosis of sand colic and observations that she appeared to be suffering abdominal discomfort. The inspection reports also cited splintered floors and rusted cages. Following these inspections and complaints filed with
6016-409: The indebted circus twice, the first from 1937 to 1943. Special dispensation was given to the circus by President Roosevelt to use the rails to operate in 1942, in spite of travel restrictions imposed as a result of World War II . Many of the most famous images from the circus that were published in magazine and posters were captured by American Photographer Maxwell Frederic Coplan , who traveled
6110-456: The largest traveling amusement enterprise of that time. Bailey's European tour gave the Ringling brothers an opportunity to move their show from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard. Faced with the new competition, Bailey took his show west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1905. He died the next year, and the circus was sold to the Ringling Brothers. The Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth in 1907 and ran
6204-405: The last link of the new " Perry Cutoff ". This created a more direct route between Chicago and Florida's west coast and bypassing Jacksonville, one which passed through Macon, Albany, and Thomasville, the route followed by ACL's passenger train Southland from December 1928 to 1957 when it was rerouted to Jacksonville. During the Great Depression ACL's freight traffic declined by around 60%, but
6298-431: The line east of Sarasota. While freight was the primary intent of the Fort Ogden extension, it ended up having the additional benefit of providing a direct route for passenger trains traveling from Tampa and Sarasota further down the coast to Fort Myers and Naples. The extension would initially serve a pair of passenger trains from Tampa Union Station to Fort Myers and Naples that included through Pullman coaches from
6392-429: The lines in North Carolina underwent a similar process in 1899, becoming the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company of North Carolina. In 1899 or 1900, due to a regulatory climate in Virginia that was better suited to the company than that in other states, the ACL of Virginia took control of the other lines and subsequently shortened its name to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company. In 1898, Petersburg Railroad and
6486-531: The loss of the elephants combined with high operating costs as reasons for the closure, along with animal cruelty concerns. On May 7, 2017, its "Circus Extreme" tour was shown for the last time at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The circus's last performance before the hiatus was its "Out of This World" tour at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017. In October 2021, Feld Entertainment Chairman and CEO Kenneth Feld and COO Juliette Feld Grossman announced that
6580-452: The merger was approved by shareholders of both railroads. In 1963, a merger between the two companies was approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission , however, petitions for reconsideration were filed leading to a court decision to remand the approval of the merger on May 13, 1965, citing the Clayton Antitrust Act . Following another round of court decisions in 1966, the merger was allowed to proceed, and did so on July 1, 1967. The result
6674-421: The move from Wilmington completed over the following weeks. As early as October 1958 the ACL and competitor Seaboard Air Line Railroad had discussed the possibility of a merger, initiating extensive studies on the potential unified system. The results showed that the merger could save considerable money through savings incurred and reduced expenditures to the amount of $ 38 million annually. On August 18, 1960,
6768-586: The movies and television, abandoned the circus, which gave its last performance under the big top in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , on July 16, 1956. An article in Life magazine reported that "a magical era had passed forever". In 1956, when John Ringling North and Arthur Concello moved the circus from a tent show to an indoor operation, Irvin Feld was one of several promoters hired to work the advance for select dates. Irvin Feld and his brother, Israel Feld , had already made
6862-425: The nature of the derailment. The cars carrying the horses and elephants were at the front of the train because otherwise their weight could derail the train, and the other animals were carried at the back of the train. The NTSB's report on the accident concluded that the train derailed due to a fatigue crack in one of the train's wheels. From 2003 to 2015, the circus also operated a truck-based Gold Tour presenting
6956-597: The one-ring International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo that debuted in Japan and Australia. The Felds bought the circus back in 1982 less Circus World. Irvin Feld died in 1984 and the company has since been run by Kenneth. In 1990, the Seminole Gulf Railway , who took over the rail line serving the Venice facility in 1987, could no longer support the show's train cars, which led the combined circus to move its winter base to
7050-566: The owner of five circuses, for $ 1.7 million. In 1938, the circus made a lucrative offer to Frank Buck , a well-known adventurer and animal collector, to tour as their star attraction and to enter the show astride an elephant. He refused to join the American Federation of Actors , stating that he was "a scientist, not an actor." Though there was a threat of a strike if he did not join the union, he maintained that he would not compromise his principles, saying, "Don't get me wrong. I'm with
7144-532: The program ran on Tuesday evenings for thirty episodes on ABC in 1963–1964. In August 2011, 20th Century Fox announced that a biographical musical drama film entitled The Greatest Showman was in development. Michael Gracey was set to direct, with Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon as writers. Hugh Jackman plays P.T. Barnum , and produced the film, with Michelle Williams portraying Barnum's wife, Charity. Principal photography began in November 2016. The film
7238-480: The purchase deal back into negotiations, and the opening of the complex was moved to early 1976. In the 1980s, Ringling sued the American Broadcasting Company for airing a Schoolhouse Rock! episode titled "The Greatest Show On Earth", later known as "The Weather Show" due to the circus' slogan being used as a title for that episode. By May 1980, the company expanded to three circuses by adding
7332-407: The railroad retired its last steam locomotive. In 1956 the railroad moved its headquarters, which had been sited at and adjacent to Wilmington, North Carolina's Union Station to Jacksonville, Florida . Jacksonville was selected from three candidate cities, the other two being Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina . Construction of the new office complex was finished in July 1960, with
7426-541: The railroad survived the 1930s without declaring bankruptcy; its success in this regard has been attributed to its leadership and careful financial practices, as well as owning the Louisville and Nashville, which remained strong through the Depression. During World War II ACL's passenger traffic increased 200% and freight traffic 150%. The railroad provided a submarine-proof alternative to coastal shipping, and it also served
7520-555: The railroad to remain competitive in the face of competition from the Interstate highway system . The ACL's passenger traffic consisted almost entirely of Florida-bound traffic, largely from the Northeast, but also from the Midwest via trains that were operated by multiple railroads and handled by the ACL at their southern ends. In 1939, in response to the Seaboard's popular new streamliner,
7614-399: The roughly five-mile abandoned segment between of the Tampa Southern between Bradenton and Matoaka. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad ( reporting mark ACL ) was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form
7708-400: The route of Tropicana 's Juice Train , which was originally operated on the former Seaboard Air Line tracks to bypass Tampa. The juice train continues to run the line today. At the north end, the line was connected with the S Line (the former SAL main line) into Yeoman Yard, the Seaboard Air Line's classification yard that subsequently became the Seaboard Coast Line's main yard. Uceta Yard,
7802-452: The setup and breakdown of performances during the 1951 season, the show's 81st edition since 1871. The film starred Charlton Heston , Betty Hutton , James Stewart , and Emmett Kelly . After its 1952 release, the film was awarded two Academy Awards, including one for Best Picture . A television series of the same title , was inspired by the film, with Jack Palance in the role of Charlton Heston's character. Produced by Desilu Productions,
7896-452: The testimony of a circus barn worker. After years of litigation and a six-week non-jury trial, the Court dismissed the suit in a written decision in 2009, finding that the barn worker did not have standing to file suit. (ASPCA v. Feld Entm’t, Inc., 677 F. Supp. 2d 55 (D.D.C. 2009)). Meanwhile, the circus learned during the trial that the animal rights groups had paid the barn worker $ 190,000 to be
7990-554: The working man. I worked like a dog once myself. And my heart is with the fellow who works. But I don't want some ... union delegate telling me when to get on and off an elephant." Eventually, the union gave Buck a special dispensation to introduce Gargantua the gorilla without registering as an actor. The circus suffered during the 1930s due to the Great Depression , but managed to stay in business. After John Nicholas Ringling's death, his nephew, John Ringling North , managed
8084-575: The world with the circus, capturing its beauty as well as its harsh realities. North's cousin Robert took over as president of the show in 1943 with North resuming the presidency of the circus in 1947. On July 6, 1944, in Hartford, Connecticut , during an afternoon performance attended by some 8,000 people, the Big Top tent caught fire. At least 167 people were killed and many hundreds injured. Circus management
8178-541: Was about the same time that Barnum & Bailey were at the peak of their popularity. Similar to dozens of small circuses that toured the Midwestern United States and the Northeastern United States at the time, the brothers moved their circus from town to town in small animal-drawn caravans. Their circus rapidly grew and they were soon able to move their circus by train , which allowed them to have
8272-460: Was found to be negligent and several Ringling executives served sentences in jail. Ringling Brothers' management set aside all profits for the next ten years to pay the claims filed against the show by the City of Hartford and the survivors of the fire. The post-war prosperity enjoyed by the rest of the nation was not shared by the circus as crowds dwindled and costs increased. Public tastes, influenced by
8366-457: Was instrumental in acquiring Jumbo , advertised as the world's largest elephant, for the show. After Jumbo died, Barnum donated his taxidermied remains to Tufts University on whose Board of Trustees Barnum served as one of Tufts' first trustees. The Barnum Museum of Natural History opened in 1884 on the Tufts campus and Jumbo was a prominent part of the display. To this day the Tufts athletic mascot
8460-476: Was not a result of the allegations by animal rights groups, but rather due to the patchwork of local laws regarding whether elephants could be used in entertainment shows. Some of those local laws referred to were bans against the use of bullhooks. Subsequently, the retirement was moved up to 2016. Seven tigers, six lions and one leopard were part of a convoy to temporarily move the animals out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma on September 5, 2017. One of them,
8554-444: Was not successful, and ceased performances after the end of 2000. Nicole Feld became the first female producer of Ringling Circus in 2004. In 2009, Nicole and Alana Feld co-produced the circus. In 2001, a group led by The Humane Society of the United States sued the circus over alleged mistreatment of elephants. The suit and a countersuit ended in 2014 with the circus winning a total of $ 25.2 million in settlements. In March 2015,
8648-544: Was the creation of the Seaboard Coast Line . The backbone of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was its main line, which ran nearly 900 miles from Richmond, Virginia to just south of Tampa, Florida . By 1952, the company operated over 5,000 miles of track including the main line and numerous secondary lines and branch lines. The network extended as far west as Birmingham, Alabama and as far south as Everglades City, Florida at its height. During its early years,
8742-575: Was then designated as the Palmetto Subdivision by the Seaboard Coast Line after the merger. It became the main route for all trains between Palmetto and Tampa since it provided a more direct route to the Tampa yards. The Champion continued to run the line and continued south to Venice after the merger. All passenger service ended in 1971 after all of the Seaboard Coast Line's passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak . The line would later become
8836-537: Was then removed in 1986, leaving the Tampa Southern route as the only thru route. Most of the remaining Tampa Southern Railroad trackage from Tampa to Bradenton comprises CSX's Palmetto Subdivision, with the northernmost five miles being part of the Tampa Terminal Subdivision . A control point on the line between State Road 60 and Yeoman Yard is named "TS," a reference to the Tampa Southern. The line today serves The Mosaic Company 's Riverview plant near
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