It had been 16 long years since the last Ringling Brothers’ Circus had played in Santa Barbara. Why the long wait? The elephant stampede, of course.
In 1909, when the Ringling Brothers’ Circus was unloading the elephants from the freight cars, the elephants got loose and ran around the area we now call the Funk Zone. Fences were downed, gardens were trampled, and people were angry and demanded compensation. The circus vowed never to return and put our city on their blacklist.
But now the circus was back. “The greater part of the city was still asleep [as] the first of the four long trains of 100 cars came chugging into town … while the stars were still shining, the first of the 30 tents required for the circus housekeeping were being raised at the grounds at Salsipuedes [now Calle Cesar Chavez] and Montecito … 800 men and women performers … The main tent seats 15,000 people.”
Popcorn, anyone?
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Not a circus…just an acrobat and clown show.