A Day in Indiana History - The Great Circus FireFebruary 20, 1940 - The Great Circus Fire
Few people know that during the hey day of the American circus, many of the famous circuses made their winter headquarters in Indiana.
Cole Brothers Circus
Peru, Indiana served the most circuses, as Ringling Brothers, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and a few others wintered near the city. This particular story involves another circus and another Indiana town, Rochester, Indiana, which is in Fulton County in north central Indiana. The Cole Brothers Circus, one of the largest touring circuses in that era, had made their winter headquarters in Rochester, Indiana since 1934. Established in 1884 when William Washington Cole left the Barnum and Bailey Circus of which he was part owner, and began his own traveling circus. The circus changed hands several times as it grew to include a total of thirty-five circus wagons. The circus toured through a large part of the United States and even into Canada.
The Fire
On February 20, 1940, an electrical box overloaded and started a fire that eventually engulfed the main building and, fueled by hay, straw and other combustibles, spread to the animal barn. Circus workers struggled to free the animals from the raging flames as they rose as high as 150 feet into the air. Embers launched by the intensity of the fire began raining down on the houses and businesses in nearby Rochester, causing businessmen and residents to work frantically wetting down their roofs to prevent them from igniting. The animals, frightened by the flames, stampeded down the streets of Rochester. A tsunami of elephants, horses, camels, monkeys, mules and ponies swept down the streets as the creatures fled the disaster. Two elephants, two tigers, six lions, two leopards, a hippopotamus, two zebras, two llamas, four wild sheep, a sacred cow and 100 monkeys died in the conflagration. The circus recovered from the loss and started their tour on schedule the following spring.
If you enjoy this little historical tidbit, you may like the books in this series:
Hoosier History Chronicles
A Year of Indiana History Stories - Book 1
A Year of Indiana History Stories - Book 2
The International Circus Hall of Fame is located in Peru, Indiana. Circus buffs interested in going to this museum can find information here:
International Circus Hall of Fame
3076 E. Circus Lane
Peru, IN 46970
800-771-0241
