Al G. Barnes Circus
| Al G. Barnes Circus | |
|---|---|
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| Origin | |
| Circus name | Al G. Barnes Circus |
| Country | United States |
| Founder(s) | Alpheus George Barnes Stonehouse |
| Year founded | 1895 |
| Information | |
| Fate | Purchased by the American Circus Corporation in 1929. Stopped touring after 1938. |
Al G. Barnes Circus was an American circus run by Alpheus George Barnes Stonehouse.
Stonehouse started his show in 1895 with a pony, a phonograph, and a stereopticon. By 1929, the "Al G. Barnes Wild Animal Show" had grown to 5-rings and it was purchased by the American Circus Corporation. American Circus already owned the Sells-Floto Circus, John Robinson Shows, Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, and Sparks Circus. That same year John Ringling, the owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, bought out the American Circus Corporation.
The five circuses that were part of that acquisition continued to tour under their own names, but were closed one-by-one during the Great Depression. In 1937 the Al G. Barnes Wild Animal Show and Sells Floto were combined into one circus. That circus, Al G. Barnes Sells-Floto toured in 1937 and 1938.
In 1938 the co-owned Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows was experiencing labor problems which ultimately led to the circus being closed after performances in Scranton, Pennsylvania on June 22. After regrouping at the circus winter quarters in Sarasota, Florida the Ringling-Barnum circus trains were dispatched to Redfield, South Dakota where the two circuses met and were combined into a yet larger circus featuring many of the major stars from Ringling-Barnum. The circus toured from July 11 until November 27, 1938 as "Al G. Barnes and Sells-Floto Circus Presenting Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Stupendous New Features. Among the attractions that were featured were big game hunter "Bring 'em Back Alive Frank Buck" and Gargantua (gorilla). When the show finished its season however, rather than returning to its own winter quarters in Baldwin Park, California, the circus trains traveled to the Ringling winter quarters near Sarasota, Florida, never to emerge again.
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