<P> P.T. Barnum, who as a boy had worked as a ticket seller for Hachaliah Bailey's show, had run the Barnum's American Museum from New York City since 1841 from the former Scudder's American Museum building . Besides building up the existing exhibits, Barnum brought in animals to add zoo - like elements, and a freak show . During this time, Barnum took the Museum on road tours, named "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling American Museum". The Museum burned down in July 1865 . Though Barnum attempted to re-establish the Museum at another location in the city, it too burned down in 1868, and Barnum opted to retire from the museum business . </P> <P> In 1871, Dan Castello and William Cameron Coup persuaded Barnum to come out of retirement as to lend his name, know - how and financial backing to the circus they had already created in Delavan, Wisconsin . The combined show was named "P.T. Barnum's Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome". As described by Barnum, Castello and Coup "had a show that was truly immense, and combined all the elements of museum, menagerie, variety performance, concert hall, and circus", and considered it to potentially be "the Greatest Show on Earth", which subsequently became part of the circus's name . </P> <P> Independently of Castello and Coup, James Anthony Bailey had teamed up with James E. Cooper to create the Cooper and Bailey Circus in the 1860s . The Cooper and Bailey Circus became the chief competitor to Barnum's circus . As Bailey's circus was outperforming his, Barnum sought to merge the circuses . The two groups agreed to combine their shows on March 28, 1881 . Initially named "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show On Earth, And The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and The Grand International Allied Shows United", it was eventually shortened to "Barnum and Bailey's Circus". Bailey was instrumental in acquiring Jumbo, advertised as the world's largest elephant, for the show . Barnum died in 1891 and Bailey then purchased the circus from his widow . Bailey continued touring the eastern United States until he took his circus to Europe . That tour started on December 27, 1897, and lasted until 1902 . </P> <P> Separately, in 1884, five of the seven Ringling brothers had started a small circus in Baraboo, Wisconsin . This was about the same time that Barnum & Bailey were at the peak of their popularity . Similar to dozens of small circuses that toured the Midwest and the Northeast at the time, the brothers moved their circus from town to town in small animal - drawn caravans . Their circus rapidly grew and they were soon able to move their circus by train, which allowed them to have the largest traveling amusement enterprise of that time . Bailey's European tour gave the Ringling brothers an opportunity to move their show from the Midwest to the eastern seaboard . Faced with the new competition, Bailey took his show west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1905 . He died the next year, and the circus was sold to the Ringling Brothers . </P>

Where did bailey take the circus after barnum died