Al G. Barnes

Biography

Al G. Barnes spent his career shaping one of the United States’ beloved traveling circuses, building an enterprise that grew from a small menagerie into a nationally known troupe of acrobats, animal acts, and hearty performers who delighted audiences across the American West.

Though he passed in 1931, Barnes’s dedication to rigorous training, humane care of animals, and steady support for his employees left a warm impression on the communities his circus visited and on the families near Coachella Valley who still recall his generosity in both boom times and lean seasons.