How did Barnum & Bailey Circus performers prepare for a show when they came to Marshalltown in 1913? A fishing trip to Stanley Mill, an automobile trip to Albion for dinner and a Mulligan down by the Iowa River, according to the local paper.

The big tent show was scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 17. The Marshalltown Evening Times-Republican reported that on Saturday the performers were treated to a free day — time to relax and enjoy the local sights before the big show. One group headed to the woods for a picnic; others took an automobile ride in the country. Another party enjoyed a “Mulligan” by the river. (Typically a Mulligan consisted of a clam bake, but the Marshalltown version included a vegetable bake — with fresh Iowa sweetcorn.) The equestrian director and his wife — one of the equestriennes — chaperoned a group of 24 on a fishing trip to Stanley Mill. Checkers was a favorite pastime for some of the performers who chose to stay on the circus grounds. A group of clowns shed their makeup and costumes and pitched horse shoes.

While the performers enjoyed their free day, other circus workers spent the day before the big show preparing for the arrival of thousands of guests, shopping for gargantuan amounts of food and tending to the wild animals. It was not a free day for them.

According to the Evening Times-Republican, the cooks who traveled with Barnum & Bailey spent their two-day stay in Marshalltown preparing meals. Fifteen hundred circus performers and workers had to eat three meals a day. On the menu for the Marshalltown stay: chicken soup, roast beef gravy, stewed chicken, mashed potatoes, string beans, bread, cheese, apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Two train carloads of meat was brought in from Omaha: beef, mutton and chicken. But most of the food was purchased from local businesses.

W.J. Conway was responsible for lining up supplies. He came to town a couple days before everyone else. One thousand pounds of bread, 350 pies, 100 gallons of ice cream, 500 pounds of coffee, 55 gallons of milk, 80 bushels of potatoes, 800 pounds of butter and 400 cantaloupes. And that was just for the humans! In addition, Conway purchased 15 tons of hay, 1,000 bushels of oats and nine tons of straw bedding.

The Evening Times-Republican reported that the circus was a huge investment for the circus owners. Performers, workers and animals filled 81 double-length train cars. There were more than 3,000 costumes valued at $500,00tr. Canvas for 20 acres of tents had to be purchased. The wild animals were not cheap. The giraffe family consisting of dad and mom — Tom and Mary — and baby Harry was valued at $40,000. One elephant robe cost $12,000.

A large contingent of employees had to be paid. Barnum & Bailey had 14 bookkeepers, three veterinary surgeons, an attorney, a post master and an official weather forecaster. The blacksmith shop employed 21 men, the wagon shop 12 and the paint shop 16. There were 60 ushers.

Barnum & Bailey claimed they had $3.5 million invested in their circus and that it cost $7,500 a day to operate. The Ottumwa Tri-weekly Courier advertised Barnum and Bailey’s “biggest circus ever” listing admission for adults at 50 cents; for children under 12 at 25 cents. But it was a small price to pay for the “greatest show on earth” brought by rail to Marshalltown.

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Cheryl Mullenbach is a former history teacher, newspaper editor and public television project manager. This column was featured in the Iowa History Journal and reprinted with permission.