Joseph Andrew Rowe

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Joseph Andrew Rowe (1819-November 5, 1887) was an American equestrian and manager of circus companies. He brought the first circus entertainment to West Coast of the United States.

Rowe, born in North Carolina, joined a circus at age 10, and worked as a child performer. He became independent with his circus activities by 1837, and toured the West Indies, Central America, and South America. His Olympic Circus premiered on October 4, 1849 at his Kearny Street amphitheater in San Francisco, the first circus to perform on the West Coast. His later shows alternated between circus acts and Shakespeare.[1] He built a more permanent structure the following year, and still later, he built the New Olympic Amphitheather.[2] From 1851 to 1854, he toured Australia with his circus. Riding a trick pony, Rowe's wife, Eliza, was a performing member of the circus. He lived in Rancho Santa Anita for several years after purchasing it in 1854. His Pioneer Circus, assembled in 1856, went into bankruptcy the following year. A second tour of Australia in 1860 was unsuccessful. He held different jobs starting in 1867 and died 20 years later in San Francisco.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Agnew, Jeremy (27 May 2011). Entertainment in the Old West: Theater, Music, Circuses, Medicine Shows, Prizefighting and Other Popular Amusements. McFarland. pp. 81–. ISBN 978-0-7864-6280-3. Retrieved 28 January 2012. 
  2. ↑ Londré, Felicia Hardison; Watermeier, Daniel J. (1 March 2000). The history of North American theater: the United States, Canada and Mexico, from pre-Columbian times to the present. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 134–. ISBN 978-0-8264-1233-1. Retrieved 28 January 2012. 
  3. ↑ "Guide to the Joseph Andrew Rowe Papers, 1857-1861". California State Library. Retrieved 29 January 2012. 
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