WI -- Delavan -- Circus Capital:
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- Description of Pictures: According to the sign, Delavan Wisconsin was the "19th Century Circus Capitol of the Nation". It says,
Between 1878-1894, Delavan was home to 26 different circus companies. The Mabie Brothers US Olympic Circus, then the largest in America, arrived here in 1847, to become the first circus to quarter in the territory of Wisconsin. Its famous rogue elephant, "Romeo," stood 10-1/2 feet high, weighed 10,500 pounds and is reproduced on this monument. The original PT Barnum Circus was organized here in 1871 by William C Coup and Dan Castello. On July 21 1948, Delavan was the site of Wisconsin's Circus Centennial as part of the state's 100 Years of Statehood. On May 2 1966, Delavan was selected by the US Post Office Department to issue on a first day cover basis, the five-cent American Circus Commemorative Postage Stamp. The face of the clown on this monument is a replica of the Circus Stamp. Over 130 members of Delavan's 19th Century Circus Colony are buried in Spring Grove and St Andrews cemeteries.
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- Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
- DEL_010706_06.JPG: According to the sign, "Dusty and rutted in dry spells, muddy and miserable in wet, Delavan's main street, Walworth Avenue, remained unpaved from the 1830's until the second decade of the 20th century. In 1911, Delavan's City Council voted to pave the three block central business district of Walworth Avenue and chose brick as the preferred paving material. The city contracted with the Birdsall-Griffith Company of Racine to install the street at a cost of $19,198.18. A workforce of thirty laborers graded the street, poured the concrete base and installed a two inch layer of sand. A crew of skilled Italian immigrant workers then laid the bricks in a running bond pattern along the street and in a herringbone pattern at the intersections. Paved in vitrified brick, a durable waterproof material resistant to wear, the street was completed in 1913 and hailed as a great transportation improvement. Delavan's brick street has been in continuous use since its installation and remains one of the last and best examples of brick paved roadway in the State of Wisconsin. The street was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1995."
- Wikipedia Description: Delavan, Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Delavan is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,505 at the 2020 census. It is located 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Milwaukee. The city is located partially within the Town of Delavan, but the two entities are politically independent. Delavan is home to Delavan Lake which brings in a large number of tourists each year, and is also close to Lake Geneva, another popular tourist destination.
History
Origins
Delavan sits in the middle of what was once an inland sea. During the last Ice Age, the final glaciation, named the Michigan tongue, covered this region. The Michigan tongue descended along the area of Lake Michigan. The "Delavan lobe" of this glacier broke off, pushing southwest into the area of Walworth County.
The first humans known to inhabit the Delavan area were Native Americans around 1000 BCE. Later, between 500 and 1000 CE, Mound Builders lived in what is now the Delavan Lake area. Mound Builders were of the Woodland culture. The effigy mounds they erected along the shores of Delavan Lake numbered well over 200, according to an archeological survey done in the late 19th century by Beloit College. Many were along the north shore of the lake where Lake Lawn Resort now stands. The Potawotomi Indians settled around the lake in the late 18th century, although there were only an estimated 240 in the county. Some of their burial mounds are preserved in what is now Assembly Park.
From the mid-17th century through the mid-18th century, Delavan was part of "New France". It came under British rule in the Province of Quebec following the French and Indian War. In accordance with the Treaty of Paris (1783), it was turned over to the United States and became part of the newly established Northwest Territory.
American era
Between 1800 and 1836, the Delavan area was part of the Indiana Territory, followed by the Illinois Territory, finally becoming part of the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. Statehood was granted to Wisconsin in 1848.
Between 1847 and 1894, Delavan was home to 26 circus companies. The Mabie Brothers U.S. Olympic Circus, then the largest in America, arrived in 1847, to become the first circus to quarter in the territory of Wisconsin. Its famous rogue elephant, "Romeo", stood 10+1⁄2 feet (3.20 m) high, and 10,500 pounds (4,800 kg). The original P. T. Barnum Circus was organized here in 1871 by William C. Coup and Dan Costello. Over 130 members of Delavan's 19th century circus colony are buried in Spring Grove and St. Andrew cemeteries.
On July 21, 1948, Delavan was the site of Wisconsin's Circus Centennial as part of the state's celebration of 100 years of statehood. On May 2, 1966, Delavan was selected by the U.S. Post Office to issue on a first day cover basis, the five-cent American Circus commemorative postage stamp.
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