Joseph Andrew Rowe (1819—November 5, 1887) was an American

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and manager of

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

companies. In 1849 he brought the first circus entertainment to

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, in San Francisco.

Biography

Rowe, born in

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, joined a circus at age 10 in 1829, and worked as a child performer. He became an independent performer in his circus activities by 1837, and toured the

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, and

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. Rowe's "Olympic Circus" premiered on 4 October 1849 at his

Kearny Street Kearny Street () in San Francisco, California runs north from Market Street to The Embarcadero. Toward its south end, it separates the Financial District from the Union Square and Chinatown districts. Further north, it passes over Telegra ...

amphitheater in

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, California. It was the first circus to perform on the American West Coast. The city's population growth was in a boom amidst the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. His later shows alternated between circus acts and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

performances. Rowe built a more permanent structure in 1850, and still later, he built the "New Olympic Amphitheather." His "Rowe's American Circus" played in

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, Australia from June 1852 to October 1854, when he liquidated the establishment. The English acrobat George Lewis was one of his performers. Rowe returned to America in February 1854, leaving his wife Eliza, who was a performing member of the circus, riding a trick pony, as sole manager. Rowe lived at pastoral

Rancho Santa Anita Rancho Santa Anita was a land grant in present-day Los Angeles County, California given to naturalized Scottish immigrant Hugo Reid and his Kizh people wife. Reid built an adobe residence there in 1839, and the land grant was formally recognized ...

(present day Arcadia) in the

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for several years, after purchasing it in 1854. His ''Pioneer Circus'', assembled in 1856, went into bankruptcy the following year. A second tour in Australia in 1860 was unsuccessful. Rowe held different jobs, starting in 1867, for the next 20 years. Joseph Andrew Rowe died on 5 November 1887, in San Francisco, California.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Joseph Andrew American circus owners American circus performers American male equestrians Entertainers from California American male Shakespearean actors American male stage actors Businesspeople from San Francisco 1819 births 1887 deaths People from Arcadia, California People from North Carolina