Ringlingville USA: The Stupendous Story of Seven Siblings and Their Stunning Circus Success

by Jerry Apps, Fred Dahlinger (Foreword)

The Ringling Brothers began their business under the most modest of circumstances and through hard work, business savvy, and some luck created the largest, most famous circus in the world. They became wealthy men, one 50 cent admission ticket at a time. Ringlingville USA chronicles the brothers' journey from immigrant poverty to enduring glory as the kings of the circus world. The Ringlings and their circus were last studied in depth over four decades ago. Now, for the first time, the brothers' detailed financial records and personal correspondence are available to researchers. Jerry Apps weaves together that information with newspaper accounts, oral histories, colorful anecdotes, and stunning circus ephemera and photos, many never before been published, to illuminate the importance of the Ringlings' accomplishments. He describes how the Ringling Brothers confronted the challenges of taxation, war, economic pressure, changing technology, and personal sorrows to find their place in history. The brothers emerge as complex characters whose ambition, imagination, and pure hucksterism fueled the phenomenon that was the Ringling Brothers' Circus.
 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2004

About the author

Jerold W. Apps, born and raised on a Wisconsin farm, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 30 books, many of them on rural history and country life. His nonfiction books include: Living a Country Year, Every Farm Tells a Story, When Chores Were Done, Humor from the Country, Country Ways and Country Days, One-Room Schools, Cheese, Breweries of Wisconsin, Ringlingville USA (History of Ringling Brothers circus), Old Farm: A History, Barns of Wisconsin, Horse Drawn Days: A Century of Farming With Horses, and Campfires and Loon Calls. His children's books include: Stormy, Eat Rutabagas, Tents, Tigers and the Ringling Brothers, and Casper Jaggi: Master Swiss Cheese Maker. He has an audio book, The Back Porch and Other Stories. Jerry has published four novels, The Travels of Increase Joseph, In a Pickle: A Family Farm Story, Blue Shadows Farm and Cranberry Red. Jerry is a former publications editor for UW-Extension, an acquisitions editor for the McGraw-Hill Book Company, and editor of a national professional journal.

Jerry has won awards for his writing from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Library Association (the 2007 Notable Authors Award), American Library Association, Foreword Magazine, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, Robert E. Gard Foundation, The Wisconsin Council for Writers (the 2007 Major Achievement Award), Upper Midwest Booksellers, and Barnes and Noble Bookstores, among others. In 2010 he received the Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Check www.jerryapps.com for more information.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://explorepahistory.com/kora/file...

Maybe it’s the odor, more than anything else, that identifies the experience of the circus—the strangely distinctive scent, the smell of it all: an aromatic assault that seems to plunge down the throat and seize the tonsils . Or could it be the the big top itself. The daring young men on the flying trapeze, the sad-faced clowns, the high-wire walkers, lions, tigers the tamers of wild beast, popcorn, cracker jacks the circus had it all. For isolated American audiences, at turn of the century the sprawling circus collapsed the entire globe into a pungent, thrilling sound, smell and color, right outside their doorsteps.

The World's Greatest Show was a circus founded in Baraboo, Wisconsin, in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers: Albert, August, Otto, Alfred T., Charles, John, and Henry. These brothers who started with nothing and became the most famous circus family ever known, the Ringling Brothers.
https://travsd.files.wordpress.com/20...

"Ringlingville USA" is a book about how they began their business under the most modest of circumstances and through hard work, and business luck created the largest most famous circus in the world. I really enjoyed reading this book on a subject I knew little about and I learned a lot about what it took to run a circus. The book was concise and detailed in good balance, the information and delivery highlighted. The book is also includes newspaper and magazine articles about the circus, many pictures, the brothers' financial records and much of their personal correspondence, and interviews with people who had memories of the great circus. As Ernest Hemingway once said, " The circus is the only fun you can buy that is good for you." This book was fun to read and you will learn so much of the pop culture of that time.

[Niki Lemin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting look into the life of the Ringling Brothers Circus- cradle to grave. Captivating and loads of historical content. I grew up visiting Baraboo twice a year and not until I read this book did I realize the impact the Ringling Brothers had on the city.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I travel, I invariably collect books from the visited area. Roger and I attended a Chi Phi old guard reunion in May in the Venice/Sarasota area. It was a wonderful time. One of the surprises to me was the story of the Ringling Brothers Circus. I knew it had history in the area (surprising what you learn on American Pickers!). However, I knew little about its history. That lack was certainly remedied by Jerry Apps, a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research is awesome and the story told proved to be very exciting. Also, the author told just the right details to flesh out the story, not too much and not too little. For a history nut with strong interests in economics and social history, this book was a knockout.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth year by year look at the rise of the Ringling Brothers Circus from an idea to a very successful family business. All seven of the Ringling brothers worked in some capacity in the circus at different times, but there were five brothers who worked together very well and those are the ones you see on many of the posters and handbills advertising their enterprise.

The headquarters and winter home of the circus and all it contained was in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Started in the late 1800's and steadily growing until it became the largest traveling circus in America, at first the town was proud of its Baraboo Boys but by the time they ended the venture, it seemed as if Baraboo was glad to be done with the circus.

The Ringlings did a lot for the town and built their winter headquarters with many buildings that was called Ringlingville. These were hardworking, honest men. There were many hardships when they'd head out early each spring. Rain and mud were a big one. Later they traveled by rail but you can imagine their arrival and free parade into town with Percheron horses pulling, (later) elephants walking was a sight to see and a lot of free advertising.

Interesting and very detailed from newspaper accounts and photos. It's what Baraboo is known for now.

[sid · Rating 5 out of 5]

If a visit to The Ringling Museum in Sarasota Florida kindles your interest in circus history, then this book may be for you. It certainly was for me.

Don't get bogged down in the dates and details presented early in the book. These will become more and more interesting as the timeline develops and the story unfolds.

[Christopher Steffen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative survey of the Ringling Bros. early history. A bit dry, but peppered with interesting anecdotal asides.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, read pretty slow. Grew up not to fat from there so had a connection which helped

[Nancy Householder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the circus. Ringling Brothers began in Wisconsin, and
Bearboo, Wisconsin was their winter home for many years.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ringlingville USA” is a very good book about circuses in the United States. It is a history of how the Ringling Brothers Circus was started and how it survived during some difficult times.

[Maryann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rather dull

[Bexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a lot of information that is entertaining and detailed. The life of the Ringling Brothers is one of hard work and perseverance that brought tons of success to the family. Apps is a wonderful author and makes the circus come alive in this book.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ringlingville as a story is almost as captivating as a circus itself. It details the lives of the seven Ringling brothers who get their circus start in Wisconsin and learn to grow their "empire" themselves, later creating The Greatest Show On Earth. From Wisconsin to Connecticut and, finally, Florida, the brothers' stories are unique and interesting, giving insight to the lesser-known story of the most famous circus on Earth.

I love the pictures and information that pair well with the overall telling of the Ringling story. A must-read for history buffs and/or circus lovers!

[Anita Laabs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everhing you everwanted to know about Ringling Brothers history and thier connections to Baraboo. Very interesting!

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just such a unique yet entertaining book, full of history from the circus' perspective. The author clearly knows his "stuff"

[Andrea]

Only of interest to a narrow group. Not an exciting read, but interesting as an historical account.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I toured the Circus World Museum in Baraboo and found it fascinating so decided to give this book a shot. I loved all of the old pictures and the history is fascinating!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ringlings

This book had a lot of the history and dates of the Ringlings as a family. I found it interesting and would like to go to Baraboo to visit the historic places

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for circus lovers! Detailed stories and facts on the history of seven brothers and their circus success.