Barnum Returns to Maine for the 1873 Season!

In 1873, P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum Menagerie Caravan Hippodrome & Circus returned to Maine and the advertisement makes the claim the the show is "Ten Times Larger Than Ever". This year, the
show gave the great state of Maine three confirmed dates: May 28 in Portland, May 29 in Lewiston (as advertised here) and May 30 in Saco. The advertisement for Maine in this year states:

The 20 Colossal Pavilions Covering Several Acres of Ground.


Three Grand, Full and Complete Performances of the entire 20 GREAT SHOWS Daily - Morning, Afternoon and Evening.

NOTHING LIKE IT EVER KNOWN ON EARTH!

Large enough to swallow up half a dozen ordinary Shows.

100,000 Rare, Novel and Interesting Curiosities, 1,500 Animals, Birds, Beast, Reptiles, Alligators, Crocodiles, Living Sea Lions, and other Marine Monsters.

Five Trains of Railroad Cars.

Procession 3 Miles Long. 80,000 yards of Canvas in twenty tents.

2,000 Men and Horses, Twelve Gorgeous Chariots, 100 Resplendent Vans, of Gold, Crimson, Ruby and Cerulean bedecked Cages, Animal Dens Steam Calliope, Polyhymonian Organs, besides the Great Musical Chariot of Mnemosyne.

Excursion trains at reduced rates will run on all tributary lines to convey the multitude to and from the great Universal Exposition.

MUSEUM. MENAGERIE. CARAVAN.

Hippodrome, Palytechnic, Institute, National Portrait Gallery, Hall of Classic Statuary, Mechanics and Fine Arts, Garden of Comparative Zoology and Ornithology, Roman Amphitheater, Jubilee Concert, Musical Coliseum, and

Dan Castello's, Sig. Sebastian's, Mons. D'Atali's

Grand Triple International

EQUESTRIAN & HIPPODROMATIC EXPOSITION !

Three great Circus Troupes, six famous Clowns, and three separate and distinct Arenic, Circus and Spectacular Rings, seen by the whole audience simultaneously, in one Colossal Pavilion, large enough to seat comfortably 16,000 people. 

Among the leading novel features never before exhibited are Prof. Faber's wonderful Talking Machine, Living Giants, Dwarfs, Fiji Cannibals, Albinos, the celebrated and only original "What is it?", the beautiful Circassian Lady, wild Fiji Cannibals, Digger and Modoc Indians. Warriors and Chiefs, and many other human phenomena and strange freaks of nature.  

Also, National Portrait Gallery, Hall of Statuary and Fine art, and scores of the most curious and beautiful moving mechanical automatons, from Paris and Geneva, and so numerous and elaborate in scientific and mechanical constructions as to require a steam engine to operate them. Trained Elephants, Ponies, Bears, Camels, Monkeys and Riding Goats, grand Double Hippodrome, and three great Circus Troupes in two separate circus rings, by the largest corps of talented male and female artist in the world. 

THE GRAND THREE MILE PROCESSION

is made about 9 o'clock every morning, and presented in such a novel and attractive manner, as to be well worth going a hundred miles to see.      
   
The Advertisement promised of grandeur that would even draw wonder in today's internet indulged population!

Advertisement photo from the
March 29, 1973 "Harper's Weekly". 

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