Antique M.L Clark and Son's Circus Poster

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Antique M.L Clark and Son's Circus� Poster Incredibly scarce / Mounted /� Acrobatic Show / Not sure of the age, but jugging by the costumes, Circa: 1880� to 1890s. Extremely rare. The Clark Circus had� simple beginnings in Brownwood when Mack L. Clark joined his older brother Wiley� C. Clark in 1883 forming the Clark Brother’s Shows a tent show that featured the� ventriloquist Wiley, his two dummies-one white called Irish Mike and one black� called Snowball, and a magic latern show. Mack supplied the freight wagons and� the behind the scenes work while Wiley the showman of the family, handled the� entertainment. In 1888 they purchased parts of the Pogey O’Brien Show which� included the show’s first elephant. They toured southern cities playing schools� and community events including weddings until 1892 when bad weather caught up to� them in northern Louisiana and they went broke. The brothers went their separate� ways with Wiley forming W.C. Clark’s Wagon Show which at times still operated as� Clark Brothers and later came to be called W.C. Clark’s Crescent Show. W.C., who� was about 20 years older than M.L. quit the circus business and purchased a� hotel in Atoka, Oklahoma. He died there in 1899 but his sons continued the W.C.� shows for several years. His younger bother Mack Loren Clark was born in� Brownwood in 1857. He cut and hauled lumber for the first frame house� constructed in Coleman and later developed a freight business in Brownwood.� Following the breakup, Mack who apparently retained ownership of the family� ranch near Brownwood, settled in Alexandria, Louisiana and started over with a� medicine show. It grew to become the M.L. Clark Oriental Circus in 1894. He� acquired his prime attraction in 1895, an elephant named Mena which was� purchased from the Carl Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany. By the mid 1920s,� Mena was being billed as the “largest elephant in captivity” and was said to� weigh more than 12,000 pounds. The show became what was what was called a “one� ringer”. In 1904 he purchased part of the equipment and animals from the Smith� Shows and the circus became a “two ringer”. The purchases included a band wagon,� four animal cages, two chariots, a ticket wagon 80 head of stock, 15 wagons, and� two covered hacks. The show had a 100 foot round top with a forty foot middle, a� smaller 30 foot round top, 2 horse tents and a dressing wagon. One of the� animals acquired was a second elephant named Ned. At the end of the 1904 season,� Clark and Ernest Haag owner of the Mighty Haag Show, the other big southern� wagon show, jointly purchased twelve camels (which included Mose, the constant� companion of Mena the elephant) and equipment following the close of the St.� Louis World’s Fair. The name of the show was changed to the M.L. Clark Combined� Shows. In 1907 the name was changed again to the M.L. Clark and Sons Combined� Shows and Animal Exhibition. And, although the show was named “Sons” only M.L.� and his son Lee were owners. At its peak the show laid claim to being the� “largest wagon show on the road.” In 1906, the show was in New Orleans during� Madi Gras and the show’s animals were used in the parades marking the first use� of live animals other than horses at Madi Gras. They continued to be used� annually in the King Felix parades for years. In 1909 the show switched to rails� with a coach car, a baggage car, three flat cars and two stock cars. It was� reported to have a menagerie of 12 cages of animals including the two elephants,� a pair of leopards and a puma; 60 wagons; 200 horses; two large horse tents (one� for performing animals and one for working animals); and side shows. The Clark� Ranch in Brownwood provided the working stock for the show. In later years the� name was leased to various promoters but continued operation until the end of� the 1945 season. M.L. Clark died in Alexandria, Louisana on October 4, 1925.� Mena the elephant was eventually sold to the Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Circus� in 1940 and died on October 25, 1943. Description: VG / Moun... read more

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