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Nebraska's Popular Traveling Show · Nebraska History Podcast

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The following episode features a historic article from the
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Nebraska History magazine. This article may reflect the
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language and attitudes of its time and while it offers
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valuable insight into the past, may contend expressions or
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viewpoints that are outdated or offensive by today's standards.
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Any outdated terms do not reflect the current views or
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perspectives of the Nebraska State Historical Society.
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Welcome to the Nebraska History podcast.
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I'm your host, Chris Goforth. Each episode we explore articles
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written and published in Nebraska History Magazine.
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Traveling shows were an extremely popular form of
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entertainment in the 20th century.
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In Nebraska, one man and his brother started a show that
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became one of the state's most popular productions.
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On this episode, we explore the history of that show through the
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2017 Nebraska History Magazine article titled Walter Savage
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Amusement Company by Rebecca Bowler.
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Traveling shows were a popular form of entertainment in the
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United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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They came in all shapes and sizes and consisted of anywhere
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from one person to hundreds of employees.
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Some shows served as families, supplemental source of income,
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while others were large business operations employing many
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people. Late spring and summer were
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popular times for theatrical troupe performances, carnivals,
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and circuses. Shows incorporated multiple
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entertainment styles, blending elements of comedy, dramatics,
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exhibitions, hands on amusement and music.
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Circus shows featuring acrobatic tricks and wild animals combined
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with Wild West shows full of rootin tootin, Cowboys and
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savage Indians. Such a show traveling by
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railroad was common in the early 20th century.
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Occasionally, in order to compete, shows attempted to
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distinguish themselves. Traveling shows continually had
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to get bigger and better in order to attract customers.
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The Walter Savage Amusement Company was one of the most
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prominent traveling shows, performing in small towns in
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Nebraska and surrounding states from 19 O 6 to 1941.
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The business and its entourage spent April through September
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working in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota,
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Wyoming, and Kansas. Though the length of engagements
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varied, the company usually spent several days in one
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location offering a variety of entertainments, including
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carnival rides and freak shows. How people spent their free time
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reveals intricacies, sometimes hidden, occasionally obvious,
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about place, time, and identity. What people did for fun in local
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places exposes, for instance, the complexities of what was
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occurring at the state, national, and global scales.
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People shape their cultural and physical spaces through
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entertainment, creating a cultural landscape which in turn
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shapes them knowing this, we can recognize how entertainment
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reflected social life and larger scale trends of race, ethnicity,
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gender, age, class, nationality and religion.
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With its emphasis on its characteristics of place
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throughout time, historical geography has much to tell us.
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At its core, a place's cultural landscape is an unwitting
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autobiography, reflecting our tastes, values, aspirations, and
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even our fears in tangible, visible form.
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This study examines cultural landscapes through the
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historical geography lens, exploring the intersections of
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place, time, and entertainment in rural Nebraska, primarily
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from the mid 19 teens to the early 1940s.
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By showcasing the Walter Savage Amusement Company, we can
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discover some of the characteristics of traveling
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shows and entertainment that was well known to people of the
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time, but has since largely been forgotten.
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During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people felt
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that traditional Victorian American morality was under fire
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and that the industrialized city was increasingly a place of
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corruption and stifling evil. If the American people, native
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born European American Christians that is, were to
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progress and flourish as a race, they must get out of the evil
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city. The Chautauqua was one of the
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main traveling shows that addressed people's fears of a
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declining moral culture. Starting in Chautauqua, NY, the
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movement focused on strengthening rural people's
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Christian moral and spiritual improvement.
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Chautauqua's were comprised of a variety of entertainers, often
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from the East, traveling to rural areas throughout the
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country promoting Americanization.
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Victorian American style Chautauqua's were especially
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popular during summers in the last decade of the 19th century
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and the first two decades of the 20th century, providing a source
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of entertainment and good for all ages.
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They were held under the shade of a tent.
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Special areas near communities were frequently set aside as the
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Chautauqua Grounds and for the days long educational and
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theatrical bonanza. Hundreds of people would come to
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the Chautauqua grounds to camp for days or even weeks, making a
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vacation out of it. Events might include
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presentations, Christian sermons, orchestra music, world
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famous opera singers, and magic acts.
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Some other traveling shows capitalized on social fears by
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promoting conservative rural values.
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The Walter Savage Amusement Company was one such socially
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accepted, squeaky clean business in Nebraska.
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The leading figure behind the enterprise was the company's
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namesake, Walter T Savage. Savage kept his scruples,
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holding his employees to his own high standards.
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Patrons were impressed and had no reservations attending when
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the show was in town. The Omaha World Herald saying
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the company's praises. Quote, the crew is not made of
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crude fellows who flop in strange places.
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No, indeed, Savage and his company are welcomed with open
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arms each year in towns that he has played before.
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End Quote. The company kept its business
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morally pure for a general audience.
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Newspapers reported that the show quote never skinned the
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public. End Quote.
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Employees even told of a time when one local Indian chief
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visited. He was so impressed that he
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promised to bring his entire family.
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Savage was surprised when the man returned with 200 others.
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Company records, unfortunately, provide no further information.
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The company's workers did not have the sordid reputation that
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carnies sometimes have today. Walter was strict, holding high
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behavioral and moral expectations of his employees.
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He only hired employees who were heterosexual and married, and
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fined and fired workers who gambled, swore, or even smoked.
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Workers could also be fired for being untidy or causing trouble
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within the region it toured. The company earned A reputation
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as quote, the cleanest show in America, End Quote with people
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referring to it as the Sunday School Amusement Company.
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Savage's conservative background was probably shaped by his
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childhood in predominantly white, rural, agricultural
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northern Nebraska. He was born on August 25th, 1886
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in the Holt County Post Office community of Deloitte.
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When he was a boy, the family moved to Humphrey and also to
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Lee. Savage's love of traveling shows
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began at the age of 12 when he attended a Ringling Brothers
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Circus in Humphrey. From then on, he filled his
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childhood with adventures, trying to replicate on the farm
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the stunts he witnessed in the shows.
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He especially enjoyed tightrope walking axe and practiced at
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home with the rope tied between the barn and the shed.
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He also traversed a rope from the top of a windmill to the
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ground, using an umbrella as a hopelessly ineffective
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parachute. The Savage family was an
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adventurous group. Members of his extended family
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living near Deloitte and Ewing became famous for their risk
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taking. The Savage brothers were among
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Nebraska's earliest aviators, building and flying their first
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airplane in 1911. They barnstormed Nebraska and
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surrounding states for several years until Matt was killed in a
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crash in 1916 while skywriting. Though deeply shaken, the rest
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of the brothers continued. The summer of 1917, for
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instance, found them holding auto polo shows, playing polo,
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using stripped down automobiles in addition to aerobatics with
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their three airplanes, then known as the Savage Brothers
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Auto polo players, or, more commonly, as a family of
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daredevils, they guaranteed quote, to turn cars over at
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least three times, to smash one to six wheels at each game, and
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to raise hair on a bald man's head.
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End Quote. Walter had already spent years
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in the traveling show business by the time his cousins took up
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aviation. He had run away from home at the
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age of 16 in hopes of joining the circus and similar ventures.
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Soon picnic and fair organizers were employing him as a
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tightrope Walker in the very first years of the 20th century.
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The president of Wayne County Fair Board, Frank M Griffith,
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paid Savage $5 to perform at the event.
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The young daredevil astonished spectators with his skills.
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In his spare time, he got to know some of the other
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performers. Someone introduced him to a
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young lady, Mabel Griffith, who had watched his performances.
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Griffith played the piano and performed tricks with her
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family's horses. The young tightrope Walker was
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overtaken by her charm, grace and personality.
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It was a propitious meeting. Walter and his brother Arthur
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formed the Savage Brothers Amusement Company in 19 O 6 when
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Walter was just 20 years old. It started as a 110th show with
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Arthur serving as one of the managers and as a performer.
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The length of stay in one location usually varied between
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one and three days. In 1910, for instance, the
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troupe was in Battle Creek on July 16th and showed in Elgin
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three days later. In the early 1910's, the company
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used the Flying Baldwins as its main attraction.
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The entertainers performed tightrope, high swing, and other
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daring acrobatic routines. Because the Flying Baldwins
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brought in so many paying customers, the Savages paid the
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Group A hefty $300 a week. The Savage Players were another
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big draw. Consisting of dramatic companies
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from Chicago and New York, the troupe performed in a specially
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made canvas tent capable of seating 1600 people.
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Except for Arthur, all the players were professional
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actors. They put on a variety of popular
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plays, including Abby's Irish Rose, Doctor Jekyll and Mr.
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Hyde, Mother's Millions, and Three Wise Fools.
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Arthur, using the stage name Elwin Strong, was known for his
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ability to play a convincing Doctor Jekyll.
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Vaudeville acts were performed between scenes.
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Having such a theatrical production required a good
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number of employees, including usually about 15 actors, 8 stage
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men, and numerous vaudeville entertainers.
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The Savage Brothers Amusement Company traveled to many towns
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after opening each season in Wayne, the company's
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headquarters. When the company arrived, local
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boys helped set up the carnival for an inside peek and a
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potential free ticket. Though the company traveled
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primarily in northern and northeastern Nebraska, it also
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visited South Central South Dakota.
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During the 1910 season, for instance, the company worked in
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18 communities. Most, such as Laurel, Crofton
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and Creighton, were located near Wayne in northeast Nebraska, but
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the entourage also traveled to Gregory and Bone Steal in South
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Central South Dakota. Gordon, in northwest Nebraska,
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was probably the farthest from Wayne that they worked.
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Though he and his brother were busy with their corporation.
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Walter thought it important to take college courses and
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enrolled at the Nebraska Normal School in Wayne.
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There he came across his old acquaintance, Mabel Griffith,
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now one of the music instructors at the college.
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With their common history, the two had many warm recollections
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to share and reason to spend time with one another.
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Like Walter, Mabel Griffith had spent most of her life in rural
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Nebraska. Originally from the Wayne area,
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she grew up on a homestead 4 miles north and 1/2 mile West of
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town. Both her parents had been born
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in Iowa, her father, Frank and Red Oak and her mother,
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Elizabeth Reed in Burlington. Like Walter, Mabel came from a
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tough and adventurous family. Before they had children, Frank
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and Elizabeth lived in a chicken house while they waited for
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their farmhouse to be built. Once they moved into the house
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with a wrap around porch and a white picket fence, they got
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down to the business of farming, raising cattle and horses, and
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having a family. As one of six children growing
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up on the farm, Mabel sought out exciting activities.
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She enjoyed riding horses using a red plush side saddle and
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later learning to ride a stride. She began learning the piano
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when she was 8 at the Wayne County Fair.
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She drove teams of horses, then played the piano for spectators.
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At such a tender age, she was so skilled at handling the high
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spirited team of horses that she and her horses earned awards of
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$5 each for being the best driver and the best team.
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Since her parents were fairly well off financially, they could
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give Mabel schooling befitting of a young, cultured Victorian
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lady. After high school, she took
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classes at the Nebraska Normal College in Wayne, finishing her
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teaching course in 19 O2. Much of her training was in
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music, especially piano. Following her graduation, she
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briefly served as the assistant teacher of music at the college.
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Her education, skill, marital status, and money enabled her to
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attend the Boston's New England Conservatory of Music in 19 O 3.
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She taught there one year before returning to the Great Plains.
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She then spent several years teaching music in numerous
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communities as well as creating and selling oil landscape
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paintings. Mabel was the epitome of a
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cultured Victorian lady when she returned to Wayne and became
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reacquainted with Walter. Although their status is
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differed, Walter was a student and Mabel a teacher.
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The two took to liking one another and soon decided to
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marry since it was customary for women to give up their careers
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once they married. On May 2nd, 1911, Mabel traded
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her teaching career in exchange for love and a life on the road
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where she would become an important part of the company.
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Another family relationship was turning sour.
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With the success of the Savage Brothers Amusement Company in
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the late 1900s and early 1910s came disagreements between
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Arthur and Walter over the way business was being conducted and
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money allocated. Sometime after the 1910 summer
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season and before the 1912 summer season, the brothers had
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managerial disagreements and discontinued their professional
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arrangement. Arthur kept the stage name of
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Elwyn Strong and created a dramatic troupe, Elwyn Strong
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and Company. On October 13th, 1914, his group
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performed The Call of the West at the Long Pine Opera House.
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This cowboy play, a romance of the early 70s with special
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scenery and effects, showed only once.
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In 1912, Walter and Mabel used $500 in capital to create their
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own production team, the Walter Savage Amusement Company.
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That year, the new company's management decided to stay
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closer to home, appearing only in northern and northeastern and
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East Central Nebraska towns. In 1913, Walter and Mabel
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traveled farther and to more communities.
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After the usual season opener in Wayne, the entourage immediately
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headed West, playing in towns such as Ainsworth, Valentine and
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Rushville. Next they appeared in Shadrin
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and Crawford. Continuing West into Wyoming,
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they performed in Casper and Lander and then backtracked E to
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shows in Douglas before turning to the South to play in
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Wheatland and in Cheyenne. The company continued South and
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east to Sterling Co. In the second-half of the summer
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season, the entourage slowly made its way back to Wayne from
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Sterling and headed E through Scottsbluff and Gothenburg, then
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headed northeast through Silver Creek and other towns, turning N
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after Takima and traveling northwest back to headquarters
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via Pender and Wakefield. Overall, the Walter Savage
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Amusement Company showed in 22 communities in 1913, including
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16 in Nebraska, 5 in Wyoming and one in Colorado.
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Walter and Mabel's lives revolved around the company.
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They traveled from late spring to late fall, usually April to
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October. The outdoor carnival shut down
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when the weather cooled, and many of the performers returned
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to their homes across the country to await the next summer
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season. During the first few years of
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the business, the Savages hit the road with roughly 18 others,
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giving vaudeville performances at opera houses throughout
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Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota. After a show's finale, the
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company might remain behind and put on a dance.
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Winter travel could be uncomfortable.
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Instead of enjoying the usual luxuries of their Pullman train
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cars, employees spent nights in local hotels, many of which,
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quote, had heat only in the hallways.
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End Quote. Mabel refer to the time spent in
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the dreary, cold hotels as miserable.
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As wife of the show's namesake and arguably a major decision
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maker, Mabel had numerous responsibilities.
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She was the accountant and secretary, keeping the finances
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and books in order. She occasionally worked with the
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ballyhoo, the rides and sideshows.
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During the winter, Mabel played piano for the vaudeville acts.
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Throughout the year, she performed serious piano pieces
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in the shows. She even kept a special little
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book, The 1899 A Graded Course of Studies and pieces for the
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Piano Forte, filled with tunes appropriate for various
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occasions. She used the book often, for it
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is filled with her handwritten notes and symbols, such as
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stars, next to tunes that she liked best.
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Performers returned to Wayne in early spring for rehearsals in
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the City Hall. In 1918, for instance, dramatic
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rehearsals began on April 24th and band and orchestra practices
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on May 1st. The season opened in Wayne on
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May 8th. For the 1914 summer season,
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management decided to cut down on the number of out of state
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showings, probably to reduce expenses.
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The company opened in Wayne and stayed primarily in northern and
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eastern portions of the state, adding locations such as
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Oakland, Newman Grove and Lee. The company played for the Brown
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County Fair in Ainsworth September 15th through the 19th.
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The five day event featured a family friendly ballyhoo.
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The public could take a spin on a merry go round or Ferris
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wheel, or take part in various athletics or watch an aerial bar
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performance or flying machine exhibition.
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For those most inclined to the arts and dramatics, there were
19:37
band concerts or vaudeville shows.
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After Ainsworth, the company slowly made its way to
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southeastern Nebraska and northwestern Missouri.
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In October, after an appearance in Falls City, the troops train
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crossed the state line and closed the season in Concordia,
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MO. The company's management
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continued to modify their business to better fit its niche
19:59
and maximize profits. The troupe traveled to 21
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communities in the 1915 season, adding a few bookings to its
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circuit, but again staying mostly in northeastern Nebraska.
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Shattering about 350 miles West of Wayne was the farthest point
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of travel. The concluding show was again
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back home and Wayne. In his first few years, the
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Walter Savage Amusement Company proved to be a success.
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What had started out as A1 box car show needed eight box cars
20:29
in 1916 to haul equipment and more than 100 employees.
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The business was able to make new purchases including an
20:37
African ostrich farm, Oriental reptile museum and numerous
20:42
exotic birds To add to its already well liked attractions.
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During the afternoon and evenings, the company offered
20:49
concerts by the Savage Challenge Band and free acts on the
20:53
community's streets. People could visit the many
20:56
sideshows or take a whirl on a number of rides.
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In the evenings, they could also attend theatrical presentations
21:03
by the Savage Dramatic Players. During the 1910s and 20's, the
21:08
Savage Dramatic Players seem to be the most popular attraction
21:11
of the entire show. The company took its dramatics
21:14
seriously because the public had loved her when she toured with
21:19
the show five years prior. In 1916, the company again hired
21:23
the popular Catherine Dale to be its lead actress.
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Al C Wilson was stage director. Fritz Adams, Mae Wilson, OT
21:32
Prather, Dick Elliott, Marvin Lendrum, Edwin Henderson, Mary
21:37
Harbuwick, and Anne Nelson played in the dramas.
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The actors put on numerous plays including The Belle of Richmond
21:44
on the Border, The Girl of the Mountains, and The Prince of
21:47
Liars. Each production had its own
21:50
scenery background painted by LR McNeil.
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The company continued to grow until it took a 20 car private
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Pullman train to carry its 125 employees, concession stands,
22:03
tents and equipment. The company must have been
22:06
profitable, for the trademark red and yellow trade alone cost
22:10
$65,000. Since it also served as the
22:13
employees temporary home, numerous cars were set up as
22:17
living suites. Many of them contained glamorous
22:20
amenities such as silver basins connected to hot and cold
22:23
running water and mahogany sleeping berths surrounded by
22:27
mirrors. The Bailey who's rides and
22:30
sideshows were located outside the big tent.
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Because it was so big, the company quote owned its own
22:36
light plant and maintained a 14 man orchestra.
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End Quote. Though today carnival rides tend
22:42
to be run down, in the 1910's the Savage Brothers Amusement
22:46
Company and later the Walter Savage Amusement Company paid
22:50
high prices to have new rides. These included the Eli Wheel, a
22:55
Ferris like wheel made by the Eli Company, merry Go rounds,
22:59
and revolving swings. Like other carnivals of the
23:03
time, the Savage Brothers Amusement Company and its
23:06
successor showcased numerous oddities.
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The novelties featured varied each year.
23:12
Snake charmers, trick horses, and wild animals like Madagascar
23:16
pygmy birds were common. One year, a group called the
23:20
Salardo Trio combined drama and peculiarity into a feature
23:24
called Oddities in Jungle Land. The company also had a ballyhoo
23:29
freak show. In the late 19th and early 20th
23:33
centuries in the western world, it was common for sideshows to
23:36
feature persons with abnormal physical conditions.
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Because such people were rarities who frequently did not
23:44
live very long, the public, fascinated by their conditions,
23:48
considered them freaks of nature.
23:50
At the time, people with such physical conditions had trouble
23:53
finding long term substantial jobs.
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So many chose to take on work and traveling shows where they
23:59
would be appreciated and almost celebrated for their condition.
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Though the exact features varied year to year, people with
24:07
abnormalities were always featured in the ballyhoo as part
24:11
of the Savage Freak shows. Nearly every performer had his
24:15
or her own stand. There were Siamese twins.
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Armless Owens was a chap who ate with his feet.
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The only thing different about the George Thompson family was
24:26
that George, the husband and father, was, at 32 inches, the
24:30
shortest member. A popular attraction reflective
24:34
of the times, was Maho, the ape man, advertised as Darwin's
24:38
original. Here, supposedly, was the
24:41
missing evolutionary link between apes and human beings.
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Most likely, Maho was simply a man who had the rare condition
24:49
hypertrichosis, which caused the entire body to be covered with
24:53
long, thick hair. Weighing 480 lbs, baby May was
24:58
billed as the country's heaviest woman with the smallest stature.
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If you wanted to visit her, a friendly looking gal, all you
25:06
had to do was go to her stand and walk up the stairs to the
25:09
stage where she sat in a plush chair.
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You could stare at her, examine as you walked all around her,
25:16
and then come back down the stairs on the side.
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In addition to her size, people found Baby Mae fascinating
25:22
because of her linguistic skills.
25:24
You could visit with her and ask her to speak in any of seven
25:28
languages. By contemporary standards, these
25:31
attractions exploited people who live with abnormal physical
25:35
conditions. When interviewed for the Wayne
25:37
Harold in 1967, Mabel Savage argued that the company did not
25:41
exploit such persons, adding that the performers took it well
25:45
and viewed being a part of the traveling show as an honest
25:48
career, which made them good money.
25:50
Unfortunately, there are no records that express the
25:53
performers thoughts. Regardless of contemporary
25:57
standards of political correctness and sensitivity, the
26:01
Walter Savage Amusement Company was a business profiting only by
26:05
meeting the demands of its market.
26:07
The company did so from the late 1910s through the early 1930s.
26:12
Two major reasons for its success were Mabel's accounting
26:15
skills and Walter's standards. With so many employees and
26:20
expenses, Mabel kept ledgers to manage finances.
26:24
She tracked business correspondence and financial
26:26
transactions, such as employee salary records.
26:30
In addition to their wages, employees earned a bonus if they
26:33
stayed with the show for the entire season.
26:36
The yellowed, worn pages of each season's ledgers contain
26:40
signatures employees verifying that they had received their
26:43
wages in full. Many of the ledgers also contain
26:47
loose receipts and statements. The company frequently paid for
26:51
some of its employees clothing. The 1916 Ledger, for example,
26:55
contains an itemized statement for Ivan Totten's garments.
26:59
Unfortunately, the handwriting of the name of the person or
27:02
clothing company to which the charges were made is illegible.
27:07
It is also unclear what kind of work Ivan did.
27:10
Nevertheless, among other purchases, in November 1916,
27:14
Ivan charged a pair of socks for $0.35, overalls at $0.95, a cap
27:21
for $1.00, a pair of pants worth $1.00, a suit valued at $15, and
27:26
three sweaters, one at $1.50, the second at $4.00 and the
27:30
other at $5. Working off the company's
27:33
conservative, family friendly atmosphere, in 1916 Mabel and
27:37
Walter Savage introduced their only child, Walter Junior, to
27:41
the show when he was 3 weeks old.
27:44
But with their new responsibility, the couple
27:46
couldn't go on living as before. Walter and Mabel seized their
27:50
winter travels in exchange for a quiet time at home in Wayne.
27:55
Walter Junior was not the only child who traveled with the
27:57
company. Many entertainers brought their
28:00
children along. Some even allowed their sons and
28:02
daughters to be involved in the entertaining. 8 Mr. and Missus
28:06
Henderson let their son Lyle perform.
28:09
After several years of working for the company, young Lyle went
28:12
on to Hollywood, taking his mother's maiden name and working
28:16
hundreds of acting jobs as Lyle Talbot from 1931 to 1987.
28:22
As one of the Screen Actors Guild founders, he acted in
28:25
numerous movies such as A Shriek in the Night, Shirley Temple in
28:28
Our Little Girl, and Untamed Woman.
28:31
He appeared in television shows like Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone
28:34
Ranger, Leave It to Beaver, and The Lucy Show.
28:38
A spot in the 1987 episode of Newhart was his last gig.
28:43
Incidentally, other feature entertainers such as movie
28:46
actors Fritz Adams and Dick Elliott also got their
28:49
professional start while working for the Walter Savage Amusement
28:52
Company. People of all ages enjoyed the
28:55
company's entertainments. Like Walter, during his own
28:59
childhood, children and young adults were enticed by the
29:02
adventure and romance of traveling shows.
29:05
Children really did dream of running away to join the circus.
29:09
As a result, some authors wrote fictitious children's books with
29:13
moral lessons that taught the negative realities of circus
29:16
life. James Otis's 1881 Toby Tyler,
29:20
also known as 10 Weeks with a Circus, chronicles the story of
29:24
a boy who discovers the miseries of trading his carefree
29:27
childhood for the drudgery of working for a corrupt traveling
29:31
show. Walter occasionally received
29:34
letters from parents granting permission for their child to
29:37
work for their company. On the small line page ripped
29:41
from a complimentary Elwood Fence Company notebook, Mr. and
29:45
Misses HP Hendricks wrote perpendicular to the lines,
29:48
scribbling a signed, undated note to the company giving their
29:53
permission for their son Earl or Carl to join the show.
29:57
It is unclear whether or not such a document was legally
30:00
binding, and no documentation indicates how Walter responded.
30:05
The Walter Savage Amusement Company did not always know good
30:08
times. Accidents were bound to happen.
30:11
In the summer of 1916, for example, CR Right Field of Omaha
30:15
was working on the company's Ferris wheel in Creighton when
30:18
he suffered injuries to his foot and person.
30:21
The company eventually paid him $15 in damages.
30:25
In a December 2nd, 1916 letter written on letterhead from
30:29
Omaha's Millard Hotel, Right Field acknowledged that he had
30:33
received the cash settlement and that he would quote in no way
30:36
hold Walter Savage liable for damages which may accrue.
30:40
End Quote. One of the worst experiences
30:43
happened in Neely in the 1930s, during a sudden strong wind and
30:47
rain that destroyed the large tent and most of the ballyhoo.
30:51
The newspaper reported that quote a fearful ostrich joined a
30:55
scrambling crowd and quote and the wind threw the bass drummer
30:59
into a nearby river, but no one was badly hurt.
31:03
Mabel assisted some of the female patrons who had been
31:06
inside the tent watching the play.
31:09
She took about 20 women to the train, where she gave them dry
31:13
clothing. Interest in the traveling show
31:15
dwindled in the late 1930s, most likely due to newer types of
31:19
entertainment such as radio and motion pictures.
31:22
Transportation changed. The company left the trademark
31:25
yellow and red train on the tracks and began using trucks to
31:29
move the show. Walter sold the train piece by
31:32
piece over several years. In 1941, after 35 years of
31:37
traveling the circuit, the Savages finally sold their
31:40
business and retired to their home in Wayne.
31:43
Their exact reasons are unknown. They were growing older and may
31:48
have simply just tired of living on the road.
31:51
Health may have also been a factor.
31:53
Walter suffered from gallbladder disease, acid reflux and
31:57
Parkinson's disease. In order to treat his
32:00
gallbladder condition and acid reflux, his doctors gave him a
32:03
detailed description of the foods that he could and could
32:07
not eat. Walter was to drink plenty of
32:10
water on a rising between meals and on retiring, but he should
32:15
not drink with meals or force himself to drink the water.
32:19
He was to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, but avoid eating
32:22
too many potatoes and not eat them at the same meal where he
32:26
ate bread. When he started to feel better,
32:29
Walter could eat items like sour milk, mutton, and gelatin
32:33
desserts. Above all, Walter should avoid
32:37
overeating. Though this special diet may
32:40
have helped with Walter's gallbladder and acid reflux
32:43
troubles, it could not fight his Parkinson's disease.
32:47
Multiple attempts at treating the disease did not do any good.
32:52
For the last 10 months of his life, the once vibrant showman
32:55
lay ailing in his bed. Eight years after retiring.
32:59
Walter Savage died in Wayne on September 20th, 1949 at the age
33:04
of 63. Mabel lived for 40 more years.
33:09
Her memories of the carnival days were not always pleasant.
33:12
When asked later if she enjoyed the work, she replied no, not
33:16
really. She tired of the hectic
33:19
lifestyle when the couple was always on the go.
33:22
She did, however, find the work interesting.
33:26
Though Mabel had been essential to the company's success, she
33:30
did not feel as if she was a major part of it.
33:34
Typical of the gender role mentality of her generation,
33:37
Mabel viewed the business as her husband's.
33:40
She had simply dedicated her life to his ambitions.
33:44
Given the chance, she said in 1967, she would not do it all
33:48
over again. During the 1970s and 1980s, when
33:53
she was too frail to look after herself, Mabel stayed at the
33:56
Care Center, a nursing home in Wayne.
33:59
She died in 1989 at the age of 104, taking with her countless
34:05
memories of the heyday of the traveling show industry in rural
34:08
Nebraska. Thank you for listening to the
34:11
Nebraska History Podcast. We'll learn more about the
34:14
Nebraska History Magazine, to listen to more podcasts, or to
34:17
support our podcast by becoming a member of the Nebraska State
34:20
Historical Society, go to history.nebraska.gov/podcast.
34:24
And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and get notified
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34:31
Until next time, I'm Chris Goforth.