Mighty Haag Circus was started by American entrepreneur Ernest Haag (17 June 1866 - 1 Feb. 1935) in Shreveport, Louisiana."Ernest Haag, Mighty Haag Shows"
Circuses and Sideshows website, with photos] His

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and uni ...

toured continuously for over 40 years, from 1891 to 1938. During these years, the circus used a variety of types of transport: boat, carts, trains, horse-pulled wagons, and trucks. It was one of the largest traveling circuses in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Many Haag performers had successful careers elsewhere after working in the Haag Circus.

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

(1916–1983) grew up in the Mighty Haag Circus; his father, Everett Robert James, was its

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues o ...

. Harry James' mother, Myrtle Maybelle (Stewart), was an acrobat and horseback rider in the Circus. Maybelle and Everett James gave their son Harry the middle name of Haag after the circus owner. The James family departed the Circus in 1931 when Harry was 15. Other notable circus alumni include the following: Laurence Brasfield, of

Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap Brasfield Laurence Lemarr Brasfield (March 1, 1898 – September 9, 1966) and Neva Inez Fisher Brasfield (March 14, 1889 – March 19, 1980), better known as Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap, were an American country comedy duo. Their acting careers, which began in th ...

, started in the Haag Circus at age 14. Cornet player Don Essig played in Haag Circus. Starting as Haag performers, Rube Walters and Heinie Emgard became a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...

act. Fisher's Performing Elephants continued tours after the Haag Circus ended. Ruby Haag Brown performed for 50 years in the Haag Circus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the

Circus Hall of Fame The International Circus Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame which honors important figures in circus history. It is located in Peru, Indiana on the former grounds of the Wallace Circus and American Circus Corporation Winter Quarters, als ...

and

Shrine Circus The Shrine Circus is a circus founded in Detroit, Michigan on Woodward Avenue in 1906. It travels to roughly 120 cities per year in the United States and a separate unit travels to about 40 in Canada. It is affiliated with the former Ancient A ...

.McDowell, "Mighty Haag Circus"
Circus Wagons website

Beginnings

Ernest Haag was born in Plymouth, Indiana in 1866 to German immigrants Joseph N. Haag (July 8, 1840 - 1904), born in

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...

(Bayern), and Elizabeth (Schoner) Haag (April 1840 – 1906), also born in Germany (probably also from Bavaria, a major source of immigrants in this period.) Haag was said to have run away from home and farm like at age 12 to join a circus. He traveled to Philadelphia and New York City, where he worked shining shoes and selling newspapers. He first got a job as a musician, playing alto in the short-lived ''Robinson Two-Car Show''. He started a juice business. From Philadelphia he traveled south, converting his juice business into a

minstrel show The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spe ...

, which failed. After purchasing a small tent from a longtime side-show man, Squire Bowman, Haag produced a side show at the local fair grounds. In 1890, at the age of 24, Haag purchased a

flat-bottomed boat A flat-bottomed boat is a boat with a shallow draft, two-chined hull, which allows it to be used in shallow bodies of water, such as rivers, because it is less likely to ground. The flat hull also makes the boat more stable in calm water, whic ...

to anchor in the Red River near Shreveport, Louisiana. He used the flatboat as a performing stage for his show, hiring local performers and calling it "The Big Show". Ed Conklin, a local juggler, was one of first performers. In 1895 he renamed the show as the Mighty Haag Shows. Haag moved the show down the

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains in ...

Bayou Teche Bayou Teche ( Louisiana French: ''Bayou Têche'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in ...

. From there he moved it down the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River ( french: La Rivière Atchafalaya, es, Río Atchafalaya) is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and i ...

, tying up near

Morgan City, Louisiana Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary and lower St. Martin parishes in the U.S. State of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census. Known for being “right in the middle of everywhere”, Morgan City is located 68 miles (109&nb ...

. At Morgan City Haag moved his show onto

carts A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people. It is different from the flatbed ...

and later and

wagon A wagon or waggon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals or on occasion by humans, used for transporting goods, commodities, agricultural materials, supplies and sometimes people. Wagons are immediately distinguished from ...

s, and began touring overland. Haag added more carts and wagons to carry the expanded show as he toured Louisiana and

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...

Mighty Haag Circus

For a decade the Mighty Haag Shows toured

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

and others in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. In 1909 the Circus had outgrown the

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

and mule-pulled wagons. Haag moved his Circus to 14

railroad car A railroad car, railcar ( American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is ...

s, calling his production the Mighty Haag Railroad Shows. Carved wagons, cages for

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

, Pawnee Bill calliope wagons, and

chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nb ...

s were all placed in rail cars. The Mighty Haag Railroad Shows toured from 1910 to 1912 in

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrad ...

including:

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Quebec,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic Canad ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native En ...

and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, including

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city i ...

. It toured US states as far west as

Montana Montana () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West List of regions of the United States#Census Bureau-designated regions and divisions, division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North ...

. Its animal acts included

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

ponies A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

and blue-faced

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incom ...

s, along with a

hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It is native to the southw ...

and

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united ...

. A Tuckapo ponies act was put on by Capt. J. C. Farley. In 1915 the Circus entrance fee was 35 cents. At the show's peak in 1918, it had 100 workers, to produce a three-ring circus in a 180' by 80' tent. Its 45 vehicles were of all types. Featured acts were the one-legged clown, Roy Fortune; a highwire walker and aerialist; and the sword swallower Marguerite Davis. In 1915 Haag sold all his railroad cars to the Great Wortham Shows carnival and moved back to wagons, renaming the show as the Mighty Haag Circus. The wagons toured locally in Louisiana and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. In the early 1930s, with good roads and

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s now available, Haag moved his Circus and tents to trucks for transport. The elephants were used to help with stuck trucks. Mighty Haag Circus wintered first in

Lecompte, Louisiana Lecompte ( ) is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. Lecompte is situated along the banks of the Red River in central Louisiana. US Highway 71, Louisiana’s major north-south route which connects Baton Rouge and Shrevepor ...

and then in Shreveport. With the success of the Circus, Haag had a home built for him and his family in Shreveport. In 1920 the Circus moved to winter quarters in

Marianna, Florida Marianna is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Florida, Jackson County, Florida, United States, and it is home to Chipola College. The population was 6,102 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. In 2018 the estimated populati ...

. Ruby Haag Brown, daughter of the late Charles William Fisher and Ruth Eleanor Gregory, was a performer in the show. She is known for being picked up in the mouth of Alice the elephant, who carried the woman around the ring. Ruby also did aerial acts in the show. She was married for 29 years to Harry Eugene Haag Sr. After Ernest Haag's death on 1 Feb. 1935, the operation of the Circus was passed on to family members. For the summer of 1936, Harry Haag, Ruby Haag and the Fisher family, using primarily horses and trained dogs, opened the Bud Hawkins Circus. In January 1937, the name of the main Haag Circus was changed to the Haag Brothers Circus. The "brothers" were cousins, Henry Haag, son of Ernest, and Roy Haag (23 Nov. 1891-6 Jan. 1947), nephew of Ernest. The Circus' last show was in 1939 in

Climax, Georgia Climax is a small town in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The town was named "Climax" because it is located at the highest point of the railroad between Savannah, Georgia, and the Chattahoochee River. The population was 280 at the 2010 ...

. After the Circus officially closed, Harry Haag, and the Silverlake and Fisher families took Alice, the elephant, and a few other acts. They produced an independent show for one year, called United Amusement Company. Haag married the former Alice N. Hubbard (1879- 1951). Their son Harry Eugene was born while they were on tour in Oklahoma, and later their daughter Helen was born. Haag purchased real estate in Louisiana,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

and Oklahoma. He was also selected as a director of the Commercial National Bank of Shreveport.circushistory.org, Routes of Haag Show
/ref>

Notable performers, acts and employees

* Ernest Haag - circus founder and owner * Alice Haag - Haag's wife, who was sales - manager * Harry E. Haag Sr. - son of the Haags; inherited part of circus * Helen Haag (Durrett) - daughter of the Haags; she appeared in an elephant act, and was the first woman to be picked up by elephant trunk) * Ruby Fisher Haag - acrobat and aerialists, elephant trainer; joined in 1928 (married Harry Haag Sr) * Roy Haag - Sales, manager and later co-owner with cousin Harry after Ernest's death * Henry Eugene Haag - sales, manager - manager of the Haag Brothers Circus (what relation?) * Harry Haag Jr. - horse trainer * Naomi Haag (Carpenter) - elephant, phony and dog acts arry E. & Ruby's daughter* Charles Ernest "Doc" Haag - elephant trainer arry E. & Ruby's son* Ed Conklin - juggler and first performer hired * Everett James - band leader * Myrtle Maybelle (Stewart) James - acrobat and horseback rider * Fisher Family (they joined the circus in 1928): ** Josephine "Jo" Helen (Fisher) Silverlake - acrobat and aerialist, trick riding (later married Brownie Silverlake) ** Sarah Mann Fisher, known as "Tootsie" - acrobat and aerialist ** Ruth Eleanor Fisher - acrobat and aerialist * Arthur Gregory Fisher - brother to the Fisher sisters, acrobat and aerialist * Doc Charles Fisher -

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

, and elephant and dog trainer * Silverlake Trio: (Silverlakes aerialists - Flying Silverlake) imberlake** Archie Silverlake - aerialist, joined 1928 ** Brownie (Melvin) Silverlake - aerialist, joined 1928 ** Billy Silverlake - aerialist, joins 1928 ** Marcus Silverlake - bareback rider ** Franklin Silverlake -

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

** Myrna Silverlake - swinging ladder ** Melvin "Col Mel" Silverlake - rope spinning, whip, gunspinning(Archie's son) ** Jimmy Silverlake - elephant trainer ** Joe Silverlake - juggler * Lulu Del-Fuego (Mrs. Frank Foignet) - side show, tattooed lady * Ezra Joseph 'Corine' Smith (Hazel) - elephant trainer * Albert Armor - riding master * Amores -

Impalement arts Impalement arts are a type of performing art in which a performer plays the role of human target for a fellow performer who demonstrates accuracy skills in disciplines such as knife throwing and archery. Impalement is actually what the performers ...

* Fennell -

tightrope Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

* The four Alvedo Bros. - aerial bars * Billy Burton, Roy Barrett, Col. Billy Barlow - clown * The six De Ivey Troupe, Hodge's Troupe & Matsomoto Troupe, - acrobats * Fred De Ivey - side show * Ray Forbes and Roy Fortune; Millie Blondine Irwin & Mlle. Blanc, Bert Deare - wire and rings *DeMarlo, also labeled as "The Great DeMarlo"- balancing act, world's greatest grotesque artist * Irene James and Mickey O'Brien - wire & trapeze * Harry Rhodes - band leader * The Linsleys -

pantomimist Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

s and comedy acrobats * Ned Bottinere - magician * Mrs. Bottinere - Indian princes o-Won-Mo-Hawk* Blacky performing lions * Kitty May Irwin & W.H. Whitlark, Ann Woods -

contortionist Contortion (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility. Contortion acts often accompany acrobatics, circus acts, street performers and other li ...

* Wm. J. Irwin and Frank Smith - double head balancing trapeze * Trip Triplett - comedian *Spider" Mardello - equestrian director *Doc Grant - jester *Chas. Duncan - elephant trainer *Larkin's Troupe - jugglers and wire artists *The Parentos - novelty acrobats and contortionists *Mr. and Mrs. Willie C. Clark - foot jugglers and trapeze *Capt. Pete Loftus - lion act *Frenchie Miller - horses and phony show *Earl Moss, Prof Harry Rhoods and Don Essig - bandleader *George and Georgie -

trampoline A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched between a steel frame using many coiled springs. Not all trampolines have springs, as the Springfree Trampoline uses glass-reinforced plastic rods. People bounce ...

act *The Johnsons- aerialists and foot jugglers *Ab Johnson, C. W. Denney, Al Armer, Roy Forum, C. W. Denney, Frenchie Miller - clown * Miss Marion Drew- herd of performing elephants *Miss Drew - clown and juggling act *Three Moralis Girls - iron jaw *The Three Georges- acrobats and gymnasts supreme, 60 somersaults in 60 seconds *Geo and Geo and Mrs. Fern, Tan and Carrie Arakis - revolving ladder *James O'Neill and Renee Jenelle - acrobats *LeRoy's performing elephants *Mrs. Della Larkins, "Curly" Womick - calliope player. *Fisher's Performing Elephants (Alice and Judy) **Alice the Elephant (in show from 1914 to 1942) **Tip the Elephant **Judy the Elephant (near the end of the shows) *Babe, Tony and Trilby, the elephants (early shows) *Dewey, Duke and Major, the riding dogs *Despot, the small horse, 19 inches high and 26 pounds

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mighty Haag Circus Circuses Entertainment companies established in 1894 Shreveport, Louisiana Haag 1894 establishments in Louisiana Show business families of the United States

Beginnings

Mighty Haag Circus

Notable performers, acts and employees

See also

References