TRAVELING CARNIVAL HISTORY
Showmen packed up their belongings, hooked up their wagons, and went back to the life they had before, and everything could have ended at that point for the populace of the carnival world. If anyone had Vegas Odds for the success of traveling carnivals at that time, nobody in their right mind would have taken them. The obstacles to continuing this lifestyle seemed overwhelming. Traveling Carnival History exists due to the tenacity of the carnival showman.
The Carnival Showmen were willing to tackle the logistics, which were daunting. The horse drawn wagons were only capable of making 15 miles a day on a sunny day. Added to that, there was no highway system in the late 1800s. Roads at that time were nothing more than a system of interconnected dirt farm tracks between rural towns. Many of our Nation’s roadways were dirt and mud paths. When it rained, the dirt roads became muddy, impassable quagmires, and rock slides and floods were a common occurrence. Brudges were commonly dangerous and haphazard affairs. Road Signs and highway services were nonexistent. A breakdown could mean a two day hike to the nearest town for parts. In fact, America only had 14, 000 miles of paved roads, and most were in the cities only.
So, traveling carnival history began with what these showmen had seen at the Chicago World’s Fair. Nothing in the outdoor amusement showbusiness world would ever be the same again. They saw firsthand how people traveled from everywhere, and every walk of life readily embraced this type of entertainment and willingly paid good hard earned money for the opportunity to participate in it. The Midway Plaisance was the favorite by far of all the attractions as well as Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show( that Bill setup out side the Chicago World’s Fair, being unwilling to pay the asking price to be located inside the grounds).
These early showmen watched and learned. It would take a couple of long, hard years to profit from a traveling carnival. They were willing to give it a try. And as they say, the rest is history.
That is where the railroad helped propel these showmen into traveling carnival history.
