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

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

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 unicyclist ...

companies. In 1849 he brought the first circus entertainment to

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, in San Francisco. Rowe, born in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, 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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1840s

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 Telegraph ...

amphitheater in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, 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) was a gold rush that 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 fro ...

. His later shows alternated between circus acts and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 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 nation ...

performances. Rowe built a more permanent structure in 1850, and still later, he built the "New Olympic Amphitheather."

1850s

His "Rowe's American Circus" played in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia from June 1852 to October 1854, when he liquidated the establishment. The English acrobat

George Lewis George Lewis may refer to: Entertainment and art * George B. W. Lewis (1818–1906), circus rider and theatre manager in Australia * George E. Lewis (born 1952), American composer and free jazz trombonist * George J. Lewis (1903–1995), Mexican ...

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 Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

) in the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

for several years, after purchasing it in 1854. His ''Pioneer Circus'', assembled in 1856, went into bankruptcy the following year.

Later years

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 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