Cole's Circus Parade Fills Seattle's Streets
Thousands of Seattleites flock to Belltown for the arrival of Cole's massive traveling circus.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Cole's circus and menagerie arrived in the city yesterday morning over the Puget Sound Shore Line. It was carried by a train of 40 freight and platform cars, 4 carts and 3 locomotives. These were side-tracked, and the work of unloading commenced immediately upon arrival. Through all the morning hours half-awakened sleepers listened long enough to growl at the disturbance created by the wagons as they rumbled along the streets to the show grounds in Belltown. At 9 o'clock Front, Mill and Commercial streets were so crowded as to be in some places almost impassable. The procession far exceeded anything of the nature ever seen in the city, the animals, chariots, wagons and gaily-uniformed riders filling the streets for a distance of at least seven blocks. It is safe to say that at least eight thousand people were present at the two performances. By midnight the boats were loaded with their unaccustomed freight and all was ready for the trip over salt water to Victoria.
“Through all the morning hours half-awakened sleepers listened long enough to growl at the disturbance created by the wagons as they rumbled along the streets.”
In 1884, Seattle was a small but growing town where the arrival of a circus was a major economic and social event, drawing crowds from across the region. Today, the bustling commercial district of Belltown has transformed from a circus grounds into a dense high-rise residential neighborhood, reflecting Seattle's rapid expansion.
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