We go to Hugo! {a non crafty blog post}

Several weeks ago, Eddie and I traveled to Oklahoma to check out the Beaver's Bend State Park and while there, I noted that we weren't that far from  Hugo, Oklahoma and could indeed go through the town on our way home.  And so we did.  Many years ago I had made a mental note that Hugo was a Circus Town.  A town where a circus would go for the winter months.  This began in the 1940s and up to 20 different circuses came there for the winter. Now only 2 or 3 still do, but  while there I didn't see any evidence of that;however,  I didn't know where to look!

 It was a cold, cloudy and windy day when we pulled into town and Eddie only got out of the van once.  I jumped out real quick several times and snapped some photos with my iPhone.  Here's what I found in Hugo....

 A colorful mural

The train station

Perhaps this train engine was one to pull a circus to town?  Or did they only come by trucks that pulled the circus wagon.  I've read that you can sometimes see a circus wagon or two parked by houses in the town. I didn't know that when we were there so we didn't drive up and down any of the residential streets. I think it would have been hard to really know where to look.

A park area across the street from the train station had a few circus type statues.

Eddie thought it a bit odd, but I made him drive to the cemetery so I could see the "Showmen's Rest."

It's in the town's Mount Olivet Cemetery and is the final resting place for many circus people.  The graves have tombstones with elephants and other animals and images of different circus performers.  

Here are a few of the photos I took in the cemetery...

Apparently there's an elephant sanctuary that is open to the public on certain days. Or there used to be one. I'm not sure if it's still there or not.  And there may still be  a lunch diner that houses lots of circus memorabilia.  I would like to see that.  So maybe, we'll have to return some day. I'm sure Eddie will be thrilled. Ha, ha.

I still find our short visit very interesting even if we weren't there long and didn't see it all.  I love to go to  small towns that have some sort of history.  The first quarter of the twentieth century was a boom for the circuses.  In 1911 there were over 30 circus shows touring the country.  They would transport all their animals, performers and tents to different towns to put on their shows.  So why did they winter in Hugo, Oklahoma?  Apparently the circus owners felt it was a good central location in the United States and the fairly moderate winter temperatures was good for the animals plus in February they could start their season by traveling down to Texas to perform and then turn and head to the northern states to begin their spring shows.

I haven't been to see a circus in years.  We stopped going because of the reported treatment of the animals, especially the elephants to get them to perform.  But I did love to watch the performers and see all the costumes and the clowns!  Yes, I loved the clowns! And one of my favorite candies as a kid was the orange marshmallow circus peanuts. Though I never bought them at a circus.

Happy Traveling & Crafting!

Sandy