ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : First Car Came In With Circus
The first automobile in Orange County was driven in the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1896.
Both residents and their horses were slow to adjust to the first motorcars, which typically had no mufflers.
In 1911, a rancher was killed when his horse was startled by a motorcar and threw him to the ground.
Source: “Orange County, A Centennial Celebration” by Doris Walker
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