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88 stories matching circus
- The Circus Economics of Pasco and Kennewick
A town’s $100 circus tax backfires, driving away business to its neighbor across the river.
- The Circus Leaves Town—And So Does Our Money
A high license fee meant to discourage local 'menace' backfires, driving residents to spend their entertainment budget across the river.
- The Circus Day Swindle
A pair of local men fall prey to traveling confidence men operating under the cover of the circus.
- The Circus Boy Lost in Everett
A young Walla Walla resident finds himself stranded in a strange city after falling asleep on a traveling circus train.
- The Con Man Who Sold the Seattle Circus
A clever swindler fleeced the city's elite by selling them on imaginary contracts for a Ringling Brothers circus that was never coming to town.
- A Total Circus Failure
A traveling circus skips the city license fees and leaves the locals furious with a botched performance.
- The Circus Comes to Town
Despite a drenching rain, Campbell Brothers Circus brings a spectacle of animals and acrobats to Walla Walla.
- The Price of a Circus: Seattle Council Fights Over 'Rubbing It All' for Big Top
In 1903, the City Council clashed over licensing fees for Ringling Bros., with one councilman arguing that theatrical companies already take enough money from the public.
- A Circus Train Wrecked on the Grade Near Newport
A switch engine pushing a loaded boxcar crashed head-on into the Campbell Brothers' circus train between Ione and Grange City, wrecking three cars and killing the show's horses.
- The Circus Impostor
A grifter posing as a Ringling Brothers advance man is caught in Astoria after swindling local meat merchants.
- The Midwinter Circus Comes to Armory Hall
Whitman College students and local bands transform the Armory into a big-top spectacle for a week of performances.
- The Circus That Outsmarted Its Own Management
When an underestimated Walla Walla crowd flocked to the Campbell Brothers' circus, the staff scrambled to haul seats back from the rail cars to avoid a ticket-holder disaster.
- The Circus Runaway
A large elephant breaks loose in the middle of a circus, causing panic and injuring a local man.
- The Criminal Circus Follows the Big Top
Tacoma police brace for an influx of organized pickpockets and burglars trailing the Ringling Bros. circus.
- The Whitman College Students' Circus
A grand student-led performance in Armory Hall brings trained elephants, trapeze artists, and a merry band of clowns to Walla Walla.
- The Circus Crooks Meet Chief Rogers' Shadow
Seattle police pair a detective with every known short-change and gim-flam man at the circus, but not before an old islander is nearly taken for $60.
- The Circus Comes to Walla Walla
A traveling spectacle transforms a sleepy town with camels, elephants, and a daredevil 'human fly' act.
- After the Fire in Montesano
Community members and a traveling circus rally to assist residents following a major downtown blaze.
- Ringling Brothers Circus Arrives in Walla Walla
Thousands of Walla Walla residents turn out for a massive parade and performance as the Ringling Brothers circus arrives by rail.
- The Circus Comes to Town: Seattle’s First Big Top Spectacle
As the Hingling Bros. circus unloads its menagerie and performers in the Northern Pacific yards, locals gather for a parade and show that promises 'everything advertised.'
- The White City on Jefferson: How the Circus Became Seattle’s Newest Landlord
As Ringling Bros. prepares to erect a massive tent city in Pioneer Square, the show's manager reveals the logistical marvel—and the surprising economic impact—of bringing 100 performers and their menagerie to the Pacific Northwest.
- A Mid-Winter Success at Whitman
Student body cheers alumni leader after a successful circus fundraising effort despite bad weather.
- The Great Tent That Flopped: Seattle’s First Major Spectacle Washed Out
In October 1876, the famous Montgomery Queen's Circus arrived in Seattle with a massive tent and twenty trained horses, only for torrential rain to collapse their grand opening. A rare look at early Seattle entertainment and civic life.
- An Indignant Patron
A Chinese man refuses a segregated ticket policy at a local circus.
- Terror Near the Tracks
A ten-year-old girl narrowly escapes an attempted assault near the Walla Walla railroad depot, sparking a search for the perpetrator.
Also about this, in other words
- When the Circus Came to Seattle
Despite unseasonably dismal weather, Seattle crowds turned out in force in 1885 to witness John Robinson’s 'Ten Big Shows'—a massive traveling spectacle that promised wonder and a glimpse of the exotic.
- The City Council as a Traveling Circus
North Yakima’s municipal government descends into physical brawls and political instability.
- The Great Circus Showdown of 1888
When the Sells Brothers’ traveling circus arrived in Seattle, it brought a sprawling, multi-ringed spectacle that promised to transform the town's public thoroughfares into a Roman-style festival.
- The Neighborhood Kids’ Backyard Circus
A group of North Yakima children stage a backyard circus complete with a dog-drawn chariot, an educated rooster, and an ill-fated mule.
- The Political Circus of 1908
Local news satirizes the convoluted web of political machines, patronage, and special interest groups fighting for influence in Whatcom County.
- A Circus Brawl Breaks Out in Chehalis
A local deputy sheriff attempts to arrest a carnival worker for short-changing a farmer, only to be beaten by a mob of show employees.
- Twenty Clowns, Cloth Elephants, and a College Circus at the Armory
Whitman students and the Walla Walla Band plan four nights of acrobats, side shows and pink lemonade — with a hired professional troupe to keep it honest.
- Cole's Circus Parade Fills Seattle's Streets
Thousands of Seattleites flock to Belltown for the arrival of Cole's massive traveling circus.