All Aboard for the Circus

On this day in 1876, a special excursion train departed Cuba City at 8 a.m. with passengers bound for W. W. Cole's Great Circus and Menagerie in Galena. The train originated at Elmo and also stopped in Benton before arriving with its two hundred passengers in time to take in the colorful circus parade.

Spectators then headed to the huge tent, or "Hippodrome," which contained two circus rings and a race track on which all kinds of novelties could be seen, including racing chariots, elephants, and camels.

After the whirlwind day, Cuba City circus-goers once again climbed aboard the excursion train and settled in for the journey home.

Advertisement published in the Galena Gazette (June 6, 1876).

Sources: Galena Gazette (June 1, 6, 7, 8, 1876).