. >> reporter: baraboo, wisconsin is where ringling's long run started. is the country's largest circus museum, circus world. it was five ringling brothers. al, alf, charles, john, and otto, who pitched their first tent in baraboo in 1884 and began carting their variety act in wagons all around the midwest. ♪ eventually they were big enough to buy their biggest competitor, the barnum & bailey circus, and the combined shows brought amusement right to main street usa. its arrival was a heralded event. the circus train was more than a mile long. at each stop both man and beast alike would be unloaded and within hours a vacant lot was turned into a canvas city. how many people would the big top seat? >> 12,000. >> 12,000. >> mm-hmm. >> really. >> reporter: howard pibbles was so blown away he spent much of his 81 years recreating that spectacle in miniature. >> how long did the big top take you to make? >> took 18 years. >> you wanted to preserve what -- >> what i'd seen as a kid. >> reporter: his replica, now on display at the john and mable ringling museum o

. >> reporter: baraboo, wisconsin is where it started. their name is still here everywhere.ntry's largest circus museum, circus world. it was five ringling brothers, who pitched their first tent in 1884 and began carting their variety act and wagons all around the midwest. eventually, they were big enough to buy their biggest competitor, the barnum & bailey circus. and the combined shows brought amusement right to main street usa. it was a heralded event. at each stop, both man and beast would be unloaded. and within hours, a vacant lot was turned into a canvas city. how many people would the big top seat? >> 12,000. >> reporter:12,000. really? howard dibbles what so blown away he spent much of his 81 years recreating that spectacular in miniature. how long did the big top take you to make? >> it took 18 years. >> reporter: you wanted to preserve -- >> what i've seen as a kid. >> reporter: his replica now on display in sarasota, covers half the length of a football field. he built more than 150 circus wagons, 59 train cars, ticket booths, concession stands, all by hand and a