Haag Brothers Circus
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Circus |
| Founded | 1891 in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States |
| Founder | Ernest Haag |
| Defunct | 1938 |
| Fate | Ceased operations; successor shows formed by family members |
| Headquarters | Shreveport , United States |
Area served | United States, Eastern Canada |
Key people | Ernest Haag (founder), Henry Haag, Roy Haag, Harry E. Haag Sr., Ruby Haag Brown |
| Products | Circus performances, animal acts, aerial acts, acrobatics |
Mighty Haag Circus was established by American businessman Ernest Haag (1866–1935) in Shreveport, Louisiana. Operating continuously from 1891 until 1938, the circus utilized a variety of transportation methods such as boats, carts, trains, wagons, and trucks. Over time, it became one of the most expansive traveling circuses in the United States.
Several performers who started with Haag’s circus went on to achieve notable careers. Among them, Harry James (1916–1983) was raised within the Mighty Haag Circus environment; his father, Everett Robert James, served as the bandleader, while his mother, Myrtle Maybelle (Stewart), performed as an acrobat and horseback rider. The James family departed from the circus in 1931 when Harry was 15 years old.
Other distinguished former members include Laurence Brasfield of Uncle Cyp and Aunt Sap Brasfield, cornetist Don Essig, and vaudeville artists Rube Walters and Heinie Emgard. Fisher's Performing Elephants continued touring even after the circus ceased operations. Ruby Haag Brown enjoyed a 50-year career performing with Mighty Haag Circus, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, among others.
Beginnings
Ernest Haag was born in Plymouth, Indiana in 1866 to German immigrant parents Joseph N. Haag and Elizabeth (Schoner) Haag. At the age of 12, he reportedly left home to join a circus. He later worked as a musician with the Robinson Two-Car Show and initiated a juice-selling business that eventually transformed into a minstrel show. After acquiring a small tent from showman Squire Bowman, Haag began producing side shows at local fairgrounds.
In 1890, when he was 24 years old, Haag purchased a flat-bottomed boat moored on the Red River near Shreveport to serve as a performance venue named "The Big Show," employing local entertainers such as juggler Ed Conklin. By 1895, he had rebranded this enterprise as Mighty Haag Shows.
Haag expanded his venture by navigating regional rivers before shifting to overland tours using carts and wagons across Louisiana and Kansas. As the production grew larger, additional wagons were incorporated to accommodate its increasing scale.
Mighty Haag Circus
For approximately ten years, Mighty Haag Shows toured across Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and other Southern states. By 1909, the circus transitioned from horse- and mule-drawn wagons to utilizing 14 railroad cars, adopting the name Mighty Haag Railroad Shows. Ornate wagons, animal cages, Pawnee Bill calliope wagons, and chariots were all transported via rail.
Between 1910 and 1912, the Railroad Shows toured parts of Eastern Canada—including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island—as well as U.S. states reaching as far west as Montana. The animal acts featured elephants, bears, ponies, camels, lions, tigers, blue-faced monkeys, hyenas, ocelots, and badgers. Capt. J. C. Farley presented an act featuring Tuckapo ponies.
In 1915, ticket prices were set at 35 cents. At its height in 1918, the circus employed around 100 staff members to stage a three-ring performance under a tent measuring 180 feet by 80 feet with a fleet of 45 vehicles. Notable acts included one-legged clown Roy Fortune; a highwire walker and aerialist; and sword swallower Marguerite Davis.
That same year, Haag sold his railroad cars to Great Wortham Shows and reverted to wagon-based transport under the new name Mighty Haag Circus. The wagons toured primarily through Louisiana and Texas. By the early 1930s, advancements in road infrastructure and motor trucks allowed transportation by motor vehicles; elephants often assisted when trucks became stuck. Winter quarters were relocated from Lecompte, Louisiana to Shreveport. Due to growing prosperity, Haag constructed a family residence in Shreveport; in 1920 the winter quarters moved again to Marianna, Florida.
Ruby Haag Brown—daughter of Charles William Fisher and Ruth Eleanor Gregory—was renowned for performances including being carried in the mouth of Alice the elephant and for her aerial routines. She married Harry Eugene Haag Sr., remaining married for 29 years.
Following Ernest Haag’s death in 1935, family members assumed control of operations. In summer 1936, Harry Haag, Ruby Haag, and the Fisher family launched the Bud Hawkins Circus, which featured horses and trained dogs.
In January 1937, the primary show was renamed Haag Brothers Circus, managed by cousins Henry Haag (Ernest’s son) and Roy Haag (Ernest’s nephew). The final performance took place in 1939 at Climax, Georgia.
After closing down, Harry Haag along with the Silverlake and Fisher families retained Alice the elephant and select acts to form an independent show named United Amusement Company, which operated for one year.
Haag married Alice N. Hubbard (1879–1951). Their son Harry Eugene was born during a tour stop in Oklahoma, followed by their daughter Helen. Ernest Haag invested in real estate throughout Louisiana, Florida, and Oklahoma while serving as a director at the Commercial National Bank of Shreveport.
Noteworthy performers, acts, and personnel
- Ernest Haag - founder and proprietor of the circus
- Alice Haag - sales director and spouse of Ernest Haag
- Harry E. Haag Sr. - Haag family son; partial heir to the circus
- Helen Haag (Durrett) - daughter; first woman elevated by an elephant's trunk
- Ruby Fisher Haag - acrobat, aerial performer, and elephant trainer; joined in 1928; married Harry Haag Sr
- Roy Haag - sales director and co-owner alongside cousin Harry following Ernest's passing
- Henry Eugene Haag - sales manager for Haag Brothers Circus
- Harry Haag Jr. - trainer of horses
- Naomi Haag (Carpenter) - performer with elephants, ponies, and dogs [daughter of Harry E. & Ruby]
- Charles Ernest "Doc" Haag - trainer of elephants [son of Harry E. & Ruby]
- Ed Conklin - juggler; first hired entertainer
- Everett James - leader of the band
- Myrtle Maybelle (Stewart) James - horseback rider and acrobat
- Fisher Family (joined 1928):
- Josephine "Jo" Helen (Fisher) Silverlake - acrobatics, aerial acts, trick riding (married to Brownie Silverlake)
- Sarah Mann Fisher ("Tootsie") - aerialist and acrobat
- Ruth Eleanor Fisher - aerialist and acrobat
- Arthur Gregory Fisher - aerialist and acrobat
- Doc Charles Fisher - veterinarian as well as trainer of elephants and dogs
- Silverlake Trio (Flying Silverlake aerialists):
- Archie Silverlake, Brownie (Melvin) Silverlake, Billy Silverlake - aerial performers (joined 1928)
- Marcus Silverlake - bareback horse rider
- Franklin Silverlake - trapeze artist
- Myrna Silverlake - performer on swinging ladder
- Melvin "Col Mel" Silverlake - specialized in rope spinning, whip handling, and gunspinning (son of Archie)
- Jimmy Silverlake - elephant trainer
- Joe Silverlake - juggler
- Lulu Del-Fuego (Mrs. Frank Foignet) - side show tattooed lady act
- Ezra Joseph 'Corine' Smith (Hazel) - trainer of elephants
- Albert Armor - master of riding
Additional prominent acts featured impalement artist Amores; tightrope walker Fennell; aerial bars performers the Alvedo Brothers; clowns Billy Burton, Roy Barrett, and Col. Billy Barlow; acrobatic groups De Ivey, Hodge's, Matsomoto; wire and ring performers Ray Forbes and Roy Fortune; balancing expert DeMarlo ("The Great DeMarlo"); wire and trapeze partners Irene James and Mickey O'Brien; band leaders Harry Rhodes and Earl Moss; pantomime artists The Linsleys; magician Ned Bottinere; contortionists Kitty May Irwin and W.H. Whitlark; comedian Trip Triplett; equestrian director "Spider" Mardello; juggling groups Larkin's Troupe and The Parentos; lion handler Capt. Pete Loftus; trampoline act George and Georgie; aerialists The Johnsons; foot jugglers Mr. and Mrs. Willie C. Clark; calliope player Mrs. Della Larkins.
Fisher's Performing Elephants were among the main attractions: Alice (1914–1942), Tip, Judy (in later performances), along with earlier elephants Babe, Tony, and Trilby. Other animals included riding dogs Dewey, Duke, Major, Despot, as well as a miniature horse measuring 19 inches tall weighing 26 pounds.
See also
- Ringling Brothers Circus
- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
- The Greatest Show on Earth (film)