Papers, 1909-1988.

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Papers, 1909-1988.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/145786141

Merle Evans was the band leader with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 to 1969 except for a minor absence in 1946 and from 1956 to 1959. The papers are largely comprised of clippings documenting the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows and Merle Evans' career. The papers also include correspondence which documents his contacts with friends and circus fans and a number of handwritten arrangements done by Merle Evans and his colleagues. (There were several large separations including his collection of musical arrangements and photography.)

1.4 c.f. (1 carton and 1 archives box)

Wisconsin Historical Society Archives

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SNAC Resource ID: 6849087

Wisconsin Historical Society Archives

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Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Combined Shows

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w64k17bp (corporateBody)

Major international circus also known as "The Greatest Show on Earth". Originally competitors, Ringling Brothers purchased Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1907, and as a result of World War I locomotive fuel shortages, the two combined in 1919, giving the circus its present title. From the description of Collection, 1973-1979, 1976-1977. (Texas Tech University). WorldCat record id: 23196743 ...

Evans, Merle

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66796bg (person)

Born in Columbus, Kansas in 1891, Merle Evans joined the S.W. Brundage Carnival Band as a cornetist at the age of fifteen. For the next ten years, he traveled throughout the United States with a number of theater and comedy shows, eventually becoming bandmaster with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. In 1919, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circuses merged to form what they promoted as "The Greatest Show on Earth." Evans was selected as bandmaster for the newly combined circus, a post he he...