Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Access Points
Contents
Biography
Correspondents
Descriptive Summary
Title: Joseph Andrew Rowe Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1857-1861
Box Number: 293
Creator:
Rowe, Joseph Andrew, 1819-1887
Extent: 1 box
Repository:
California State Library
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Unrestricted.
Conditions of Use
Please credit California State Library.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to California State Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing. Permission for publication is given on behalf of California State Library as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by
the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Joseph Andrew Rowe Papers, California State Library.
Access Points
Rowe, Joseph Andrew, 1819-1887
Circus owners--California
Circus--California--San Francisco
Contents
Correspondence, bills and other papers of Rowe and his associates.
Biography
Joseph A. Rowe was born in North Carolina in 1819 and joined a circus company in 1829 as a child performer. In 1837, he became
independent, engaging in various circus activities, and touring the east coast and South America. In 1849 he came to San Francisco
and gave the first circus entertainment. In 1851, he went to Australia, returning a rich man in 1854. In 1854, he purchased
the Rancho Sant Anita near Los Angeles, living there for several years. In 1856, he assembled a new company, the Pioneer Circus;
however, a combination of hard times and stiff competition drove the company into bankruptcy in 1857. At this point, a business
friend, John Center, purchased the circus and resold it to Rowe at a fair price. In 1860, Rowe again toured Australia, this
time unsuccessfully. After 1867, he worked at various jobs, dying in obscurity in San Francisco, November 5, 1887.
Correspondents
Major Correspondents
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Alexander, John
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Center, David
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Center, James
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Center, John
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Franklin, H. W.
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Malloney, Henry C.
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Rowe, John A.
Other Correspondents
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Austin, Nat
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Field, Stephen A.
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Gillim, Francis
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Hancock, Henry
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Hutchings, John
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Hutchings, Thomas
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Johnson, Chas. B.
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Johnson, Orrick
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Kimbal, M.
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Lee, H. C.
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Peoples, George
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Rhoades, Thos. W.
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Stocker, J. T.
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Sutton Joseph
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Thorne, J. W.