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.
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.
The Great Montana Circus, from Montgomery, arrived here yesterday on the steamer *Albion* from the interior, where they gave an entertainment on Monday evening to a crowded tent. Those who witnessed the performance spoke in the highest terms of it. They brought with them twenty trained horses and sixty persons, including the entire corps of famous artists.
Upon their arrival here, a huge tent was put up in Occidental Square, the largest ever erected in this city, measuring 100 feet in diameter. The usual number of boys and youngsters flocked around with avid eyes, besieging the workmen to tell them about the great show. In fact, the whole city seemed to be alive with excitement; but Providence frowned upon the undertaking and, after gathering up her humid forenoon in a torrent, for several hours, this tent was found completely ruined.
The Grand Monster Tent collapsed in the rain. The circus people are now putting up another splendid tent, and there will be two occasions for a large turn-out expected.
Mr. D.S. Colvin, the courteous manager of Montgomery Queen's Circus, during the performance in Portland on Saturday night last, presented with an elegant pair of gold sleeve buttons set with diamonds. They were formally presented by Mr. Arlington, with a few very pertinent and concise remarks on behalf of the members of the company. They were made from $10 gold pieces, the silver sides of which bear the date of 1875. The reverse sides have the donee monogram engraved upon them, and in the center of each, a brilliant diamond is set. On the surface of the plate is engraved 'From a few friends of Queen's Circus, Oct 14, 1876.' They were made in San Francisco at the cost of $107, and presented to Mr. Colvin as a token of the high esteem in which he is held by the members of the company.
This account captures Seattle’s transition from a rugged frontier town to a hub for touring entertainment. The failure of the tent highlights the harsh realities of Pacific Northwest weather, even in autumn, while the detailed description of the circus manager receiving diamond-encrusted buttons offers a glimpse into the social stratification and professional camaraderie of traveling performers in the 1870s.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.