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Call Nummber
CWM Mss 67
(Old Series 1325)

Title
Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Engineering Division, Circus Contracts 1905-1951.   (1.4. c.f.  2 archives boxes)

Agency History
Chapter 183, Laws of 1931, renamed the Railroad Commission as the Public Service Commission. Comprehensive motor carrier regulation was added by Chapter 488, Laws of 1933. Securities regulation was transferred to the Banking Dept. in 1937. The Reorganization Act of 1967 continued the commission as an independent regulatory agency. Chapter 29, Laws of 1977, transferred transportation regulation to the Transportation Commission. The commission is responsible for the regulation of the public utilities as defined in Section 196.01, Wis. Stat., including those municipally owned and operated. The commission must review and evaluate the advance plans for proposed facilities filed biennially by all electric utilities (including cooperatives), and conduct research and sponsor demonstration projects relating to the forecasting of demand, pricing structure and power operation and supply. The commission reviews environmental impact statements and conducts studies of long-range energy requirements and supply. The Commission also has responsibility in the areas of telecommunications and natural gas and electric power with respect to emergency resource management.

Scope and Content
Copies of contracts and attached special tariffs between railroad companies and circuses, carnivals, and traveling shows for the transportation of equipment, animals, and personnel to and from Wisconsin points. Contracting railroad companies include Chicago & Northwestern, 1906-1942; Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha, 1908-1941; Northern Pacific, 1928-1930; Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie, 1909-1942; Green Bay Western, 1909-1931; and Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic, 1915-1951.

The contracts are arranged alphabetically by railroad company. 

Transferred from the Wisconsin Historical Society, August 1997.

Container List
Box      Folder

1          1                      Adam Forepaugh & Sells Bros. Circus, 1907
            2                      Al G. Barnes & Sells – Floto Circus, 1938
            3                      Al G. Barnes Circus, 1921-1936
            4                      America’s Model Shows, 1935
            5                      Amusement Corporation of America, 1939-1941
            6                      Arlington & Beckmann’s Oklahoma Ranch Wild West, 1913
            7                      Barlow Show, 1928
            8                      Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1907-1911
            9                      Beckmann & Gerety Shows, 1930-1938
            10                    Bernardi Exposition, 1930
            11                    Big Otto Trained Animal Show, 1905
            12                    Browning, Chas, 1905  
            13                    Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, 1908
            14                    Buffalo Bill’s Wild West & Pawnee Bill, 1909
            15                    C A Wortham Shows, 1921-1929
            16                    Calumet Amusement Co., 1924
            17                    Campbell Bros. Circus, 1912
            18                    Campbell Bailey Hutchison Circus, 1920-1921
            19                    Capitol City Amusement Co., 1911-1912
            20                    Carl Hagenbeck’s Circus, 1906
            21                    Castle – Ehrlich – Hirsch Shows Inc., 1932
            22                    Chicago Amusement Enterprise, 1905
            23                    Christy Bros. Circus, 1922-1927
            24                    Circus Effects, 1911-1912
            25                    Clyde Beatty Circus, 1951
            26                    Col. G.W. Hall’s Circus, 1905-1909
            27                    Cole Bros. Circus, 1929-1941
            28                    Con. T. Kennedy Shows, 1920-1924
            29                    Cooper & Robinson Dog & Pony Show, 1909
            30                    De Kreko Bros. Shows, 1925-1927
            31                    Dode Fisk Circus, 1908-1910
            32                    Dodson’s World Fair Shows, 1926-1945
            33                    Dykman and Joyce Shows, 1922-1924
            34                    Ferari Bros. Shows United, 1905
            35                    Gentry Bros. Shows, 1909-1927
            36                    Gollmar Bros. Circus, 1905-1922
            37                    Gollmar Bros. & Jas. Patterson Circus, 1917
            38                    Goodman Wonder Shows, 1940-1941
            39                    Great Cosmopolitan Shows, 1909-1911
            40                    Great Gaskill Shows, 1905-1906
            41                    Great Middle West Shows, 1922-1924
            42                    Great Mundy Shows, 1906
            43                    Great Parker Amusement Co., 1906-1907
            44                    Great Patterson Shows, 1912
            45                    Great Western Show, 1908
            46                    Great Whiteway Shows, 1921-1922
            47                    Greater Alamo Shows, 1921
            48                    Greater Alpine Shows, 1923
            49                    Greater Sheesley Shows, 1922-1925
            50                    H.T. Freed Exposition Co., 1920-1921
            51                    Haas, Bert, 1920-1921
            52                    Hagenbeck Wallace & Forepaugh Sells Bros. Circus, 1935
            53                    Hagenbeck Wallace Circus, 1908-1932
            54                    Hales Fire Fighters, 1906
            55                    Hanscher Bros. Amusement Co., 1921-1922
            56                    Hennies Bros. Shows Inc., 1937-1938
            57                    Herbert A. Kline Shows, 1908-1909
            58                    Heritage Bros. Circus, 1926
            59                    Hoffman Baloon & Attraction Co., 1905
            60                    Howe’s Great London Circus, 1922
            61                    Irwin Bros. Real Cheyenne Frontier Days Wild West Shows, 1913
            62                    J. Frank Hatch Shows, 1906-1912
            63                    J.F. McGrail Show, 1908
            64                    J.H. Eschman Circus, 1916
            65                    John Robinson’s Circus, 1905-1922
            66                    Johnny J. Jones Exposition Shows, 1920-1942
            67                    K.G. Barkoot Shows, 1911-1924
            68                    Kehoe & Davis Shows, 1921
            69                    Kit Carson Buffalo Ranch Wild West, 1911
            70                    L.J. Heth Shows, 1921-1922
            71                    Lachman – Carson Exposition Shows, 1923-1935
            72                    LaTena’s Circus, 1917
            73                    Leslie Bodnar Shows, 1928
            74                    Mazeppa Greater United Shows, 1912
            75                    Metropolitan Carnival Co., 1906
            76                    Mighty Doris Exposition Shows, 1922
            77                    Mighty Haag Shows, 1913
            78                    Mighty Sheesley Midway, 1937-1939
            79                    Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Wild West, 1908-1930
            80                    Miller Bros. Shows, 1929
            81                    Morris & Castle Shows, 1922-1931
            82                    Nat Reiss Shows, 1921
            83                    Norris & Rowe Circus, 1905-1909
            84                    Orton Bros. Circus, 1916
            85                    Pains Fall of Port Arthur, 1905
            86                    Patterson’s Circus, 1922
            87                    Pawnee Bill’s Wild West, 1907
            88                    (Prof) E.K. Crocker, 1906
            89                    Rhoda Royal Circus, 1921
            90                    Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1920-1942
            91                    Ringling Bros. Circus, 1905-1911
            92                    Robbins Bros. Circus, 1905-1930
            93                    Royal American Shows, 1923-1937
2          1                      Rubin & Cherry Shows, 1926-1938
            2                      S.W. Brundage Shows, 1924-1931
            3                      Serbel Bros. Dog & Pony Show, 1905-1908
            4                      Sells Floto Circus, 1909-1930
            5                      Siegrist & Silbon Show, 1921
            6                      Smith Carnival Co., 1905
            7                      Smith Greater Shows, 1909-1924
            8                      Snapp Bros. (Exposition) Shows, 1921-1928
            9                      Sol’s United Shows, 1921
            10                    Sparks Circus, 1913-1925
            11                    Strayer Amusement Co., 1922-1930
            12                    Street Carnival Effects, 1908
            13                    Sun Bros. Circus, 1906
            14                    Sun Bros. Greater Progressive Shows, 1915-1916
            15                    Superior Shows, 1920
            16                    T.A. Wolfe Shows, 1922
            17                    Talbot’s Fighting the Flames Co., 1906
            18                    Tiger Bill’s Wild West & Col G.W. Hall’s Circus, 1910
            19                    United Carnival Shows, 1909
            20                    Veal Bros. Show, 1921
            21                    W.H. Coulter Shows, 1911
            22                    Walter L. Main Circus, 1920-1928
            23                    Walter Savidge Amusement Co., 1924
            24                    Wheeler Bros. Circus, 1916
            25                    Wonder Shows of America, 1942
            26                    World Bros. Circus, 1923
            27                    World’s Fair Shows, 1920
            28                    Wortham & Allen United Shows, 1911
            29                    Yankee Robinson’s Circus, 1910-1920
            30                    Tariff Information, 1909-1911
            31                    Patton Paint Co., 1905