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Circus City, USA

By Calett Morris

I was in a convenience store one day when an older lady came in and asked the clerk about the location of our town cemetery. She had heard from a source that Hugo, Oklahoma, was a place to stop and see unusual grave markings.

I thought it was odd, at first, as I had lived here for some time but just had not made it a point to see the cemetery. For some reason, the older generation, or so it seems to me, likes to do that kind of “stuff.“

I thought to myself, “What kind of unusual grave markers is she talking about?“ It did not take long for curiosity to overcome me, and I took a look for myself.

Circus City, USA is synonymous with Hugo, Oklahoma. It is nicknamed Circus City, USA because here lies the winter headquarters of the Kelly-Miller Circus and the Carson and Barnes Circus. Not only do the headquarters boast their presence, but the deceased circus folks still put on a show here.

No, we don’t have clowns haunting us, but we do have spectacular granite tombstones that tell us the show must go on.

Mt. Olivet Cemetery that is nestled in the southeast corner of Hugo has a designated area named Showmen’s Rest. The area is easily distinguished from the others by what else but pillars with elephants on top. The tallest one is a good nine feet and sports the life-size portrait of a very loved elephant trainer named John Strong.

The founder of the Kelly-Miller Circus, Obert Miller, was laid to rest here among many others who contributed to the spectacular shows of the circus. There in the center of all the other unique tombstones stands a tall headstone with an elephant standing on its two back feet under the Big Top. Its trunk is up in honor of those who are deceased.

It’s quite a show, all right. Take a look for yourself when you come and visit Circus City, USA.

Calett Morris of Hugo, Okla., is a freshman nursing student at Paris Junior College.

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