Orton Bros. Circus (Bill of sale)

Scan000011023, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. My mother's family had been successful with their overland Orton Bros. Circus for many years. Her father R.Z. Orton had many dealings with Hall over the years . The Ortons were hard working people and in the off season would buy property in Des Moines and since there were so many, would build a bungalow or two in no time and wound up with considerable Real Estate. Aware of this, Hall and Higbee played on his vanity, talked him into putting the show on rails and sold him twice the size his "high grass" route could handle. When the circus failed, the bank took all the Des Moines holdings.