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Seibel Brothers
Dog and Pony Show
Seibel & Company
Dogs and ponies, animal barn, WHS_005_556
Emil Seibel owned a large
imposing house on the northeast corner of Eighth and Main.
He also owned much of the
property on the same block to the rear of his home
where he had buildings for
the storage of much of his circus equipment and some
small animals. Most of his horses and ponies were kept on a
farm he owned east of the city.
1899
Emil Seibel participated in Lewis
Monument dedication
1891
1894
Advertisement, Emil Seibel, 310 E Main
1896
06 19 PONY SALE
Seibel’s pony sale was well attended on Tuesday and good price s were paid for a number of the little horses. WG
1898
1898 310 E Main, laying of sewer line on Main
1898, 310 E Main, laying of water line on Main, WHS_004_NT_064
09 14 A. W. Gentry, of the Gentry Dog and Pony Show, was the guest of Emil Seibel yesterday and purchased three of the latter’s four-in-hand of spotted ponies, which are among the best from his stables. WR
1899
1899, Sept 13-15, ponies and carnival wagon, Harvest Jubilee & Carnival, WHS_005_484
1899, Sept 13-15, ponies and carnival wagon, Harvest Jubilee & Carnival, WHS_005_604
1900
02 06 We have before us the January number of The Rock Horse Show Monthly, an illustrated journal devoted to horse interests, in which two excellent illustrations of Emil Seibel's famous Shetland ponies are shown. The photos from which these illustrations are reproduced were taken at the time of the carnival last September. One shows twelve ponies hitched tandem to the carnival queen's carriage and the other four black ponies hitched abreast to the carriage driven by Mrs. Seibel in the floral parade. The Monthly says that "Mr. Seibel's ponies are of a quality that bespeaks careful selection and breeding from imported stock. WR
02 06 [same date] Emil Seibel has disposed of several head of Shetland ponies recently, thirteen going to Gentry Pony and Dog Show, two to a party in Annapolis, Md., and one to a party in Bangor, Wis. WR
c.1900
SEIBEL’S DRY GOODS, CARPETS & GROCERIES
310 East Main St; Emil Terwedow, John Guetzlaff, Henry ?aele?, ?last?? Marquardt, Edwin Behling
1902
08 22 SHOW
AT SEIBEL'S TRAINING ACADEMY
Tuesday afternoon a large number of our people attended the dog and pony show at Seibel's training academy, corner Eighth and Main streets. The exhibition was first-class, especially when it is taken into consideration that the animals have only been under training for 10 weeks. The work of the ponies is first-class, most of the things done being new and original. The work of the clown pony Snow Cloud, the smallest clown pony on earth is particularly amusing, and Teddy, the diving dog, is a wonder. He climbs a ladder 40 feet high and jumps into a netting suspended about 2 feet from the ground. This act alone is a great drawing card in Seibel's pony show. Mr. Seibel has inducements from various places to exhibit his show, but as yet has not decided on taking it out of the city. It is a local amusement that would be encouraged, and we hope Mr. Seibel will be well repaid for his enterprise. His show is a good one, and whenever the community is given a chance to see it, the people should turn out in large numbers. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings of next week, at 7:30 o'clock, the program will be repeated, and all who possibly can should witness it. Admission, adults 25 cts; children 10cts. Music by Weber's orchestra. WG
03 21 MONKEY
ESCAPES TRAINING ACADEMY
AND HEADS TO HIGH SCHOOL
A monkey belonging to Seibel Bros, pony and dog show created quite a little amusement for pupils at the high school building and residents adjacent to the training quarters in North Eighth Street Thursday morning. “Casey” with its mate escaped from a barn basement where they are kept but the latter was rescued before it reached the street. “Casey” however made good his escape and took up quarters in one of the trees in the school house yard nearby. He refused all tempting offers to come down and evidently enjoyed his protected position until a number of boys with the aid of a long ladder drove him from his perch. He nimbly jumped from branch to branch and from tree to tree until he was finally cornered when he leaped to the ground, a distance of twenty feet and was driven to the training quarters where he was captured. In the meantime, a large crowd was present to watch the proceedings, which “Casey” evidently enjoyed. The animal is 36 inches high when on his haunches and is yet comparatively in his wild condition. It required 75 minutes time and assistance of half a dozen persons to secure him.
1904
04 27 NEW
RAILROAD SHOW /. STREET PARADE
1908
06 28 EMIL
SEIBEL LOSSES PONY
Emil Seibel lost a valuable
little pony mare yesterday forenoon at the Northwestern depot. The American Expressman Frank Bertram had
taken the pony to the depot in a crate to have it sent away on the southbound
train. While waiting for the passenger
train to arrive, the crate was standing on the platform. During this time a freight train passed to
reach a side track and the pony was that frightened that it jumped out of the
crate in between two cars and was mortally wounded. The expressman and another man were watching
and holding the horse when the freight train went by, but in spite of their
strenuous efforts to hold the pony, they were unable to do so. WL
1909
1909c, 310 E Main, Seibel
& Co, Emil, notions
04 30 Cooper and Robenson
arranged with Seibel Bros. to lease their show for the season. WG
1910
1910c,
dry goods, 310 E Main, post remodel, WHS_005_599
1910c,
dry goods, 310 E Main, pre remodel, WHS_005_600
12 09 GOING
INTO WINTER QUARTERS AT WATERTOWN
Emil Seibel, general
manager of Seibel Bros. Dog and Pony Circus, returned yesterday from a tour of
the south, with his circus aggregation, and Sunday the ponies, comprising the
circus, will go into winter quarters at Watertown. The pony and dog circus has been engaged to
take part in the society circus at the Auditorium Annex Christmas week for the
benefit of the Maternity hospital. It is
expected that the novel entertainment will net the hospital $10,000.
"Among the attractions I am going to bring to
Milwaukee during Christmas week," said Mr. Seibel, “will be Snow Cloud,
the smallest Shetland pony stallion in the world. I carry him in a suit case and he weighs
thirty pounds. We are also going to
bring our famous drilling ponies, Comet, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Cupid, Vixen,
Dunder and Blitzen.
We will introduce sixteen other ponies in the ring and will reproduce
our entire circus program." — [Milwaukee
Journal] WG
1911
05 04 OPENING
OF 1911 SEASON
On Thursday of next
week Seibel Bros. Dog and Pony Show will exhibit on the circus grounds in the
5th ward of this city, afternoon and evening. Watch for the grand street parade at 11
a.m. This show is one of the best of its
kind on the road and being a home institution our people should all turn out to
attend it. Admission children 15 cents,
adults 25 cents. WG
Maude, The Bucking Mule. Before touring, the Seibel Dog and Pony Show held
its first performance of 1911 season at the circus grounds (now Lincoln park)
05 18 Last Thursday afternoon and
evening large crowds of people witnessed Seibel Bros. dog and pony show, and
all were pleased with the performances.
There were many new acts in the program and Seibel Bros. may well feel proud
of the performances the intelligent dogs and ponies give. Many of their tricks seem almost human. WG
10 12 AUCTION
The undersigned will sell at public auction, at the corner of Main and
Eighth streets, in the second ward in the city, on Friday, Oct. 20, 1911, at 1
o’clock sharp, the following personal property, to wit: 20 draft horses, 1 fine high-bred chestnut
stallion, 2 large spotted riding and driving ponies, 1 black driving mare in
foal, 5 lumber wagons, 1 wagon box, 1 4-seated carryall, 1 open phaeton
harness, 1 single buggy harness, 2 sets double carriage harnesses, 8 sets heavy
work harnesses and many other articles too numerous to mention. Terms of sale – All sums up to $10 cash; over
that amount 6 months time will be given on bankable notes at 6 per cent
interest. -- Emil Seibel WG
1912
04 25 SEIBEL BROS. CIRCUS OPENS
Season of 1912 in Watertown
Watertown, the home of Seibel Bros., proprietors of Seibel Brothers
mammoth dog and pony circus, will be greatly favored on Thursday, May 2nd, by
this excellent circus opening the season here by giving afternoon and evening
performances. The show had a very
successful season last year, and starts out this year larger and better than
ever and with every prospect of an even more successful season than that of
1911. Watertown people should turn out
in large numbers at both performances.
The farmers of the surrounding country and people of nearby towns will
be here in the hundreds to see it. The
trained animal division is said to be the best of any circus on the road today,
while human talent to make the show complete in other details is not
lacking. Besides having added greatly to
the size of the show they have a number of features which are exceptionally fine. Cairo, the trained monkey, does a
loop-the-loop act which is thrilling and amazing. He sits in his little auto with apparent
unconcern and takes his dare devil ride with great enjoyment. Young Sandow, the strong man, is very good as
is also Del Fontain, the slack wire artist, who has
some original acts that are very fine.
Nero Brothers, the contortionists, are both amusing and
interesting. Prof. Roy Rush of
Bloomington, Ind., and formerly of the Gentry shows, has been with Seibel Bros.
all winter and has the dogs, monkeys and ponies well trained. There will be a street parade on the day of
the show. WG
05 02 A GREAT SHOW
Seibel Bros. dog and pony show, which exhibited at the Sharon hall park
last Saturday afternoon, proved to be a wonderful exhibition of equine and
canine skill. The ponies performed, in
an almost unbelievable manner, many tricks which must have required months of
patient training to perfect. The work of
the dogs, also, was truly wonderful. One
feature about the show was the noticeable absence of the tough element which
many times too often follow the traveling tent show. The people from the proprietor down to the
humblest canvass hustler conducted themselves as gentlemen. The show itself was perfectly clean and we
would be glad to welcome them here for a return date. — Sharon Reporter
At Watertown, Thursday, May 2nd, 1912, afternoon and evening. WG
1913
Weltburger ad
1914
02 05 SEIBEL BROS. PONY SHOW MAY TOUR THE WORLD
On Tuesday Vic Hugo, one of America's most famous showmen, and Tim
Keeler were in the city looking over Seibel Bros. Dog and Pony show, with a
view of touring the world with it. If a contract can be closed the show will
open in Australia, November 11, 1914. WG
04 30 SEIBEL BROS. SHOW AT THE
SHOW GROUND
Seibel Bros.
Greater Shows will exhibit on the show grounds in this city on May 2d.
This show is larger and greater than ever — many new features having been added for this season and the prospects for a successful season are very good, especially so if a first class show in all its departments will draw the people.
Their trained ponies and trained dogs are all in excellent condition and they have been taught many new and wonderful tricks during the winter months at the headquarters of the show in this city.
This is a Watertown enterprise that everybody in the city should encourage by attending the show on Saturday. It is worth a great deal to our city in a business way as well as advertising our city wherever the show exhibits. Do your duty and attend the show. WG
05 07 1914 SEASON OPENS
Seibel Bros. Shows opened in this city last Saturday under very
favorable circumstances. The weather was
ideal and everything connected with the circus seemed to vie with the weather
to make people happy. The parade at noon
was a splendid one and the best ever given by Seibel Bros. Many new wagons have been added to the outfit
of Seibel Bros., and all the old ones have been newly painted and embellished. The ponies are all in splendid condition and
as they were driven through our streets were admired by hundreds of
people. The circus performance by the
dogs and ponies is the best ever exhibited here, and many new features have
been added — such as a splendid juggler, an expert sleight of hand performer,
one of the best contortionists ever witnessed in Watertown, and a ventriloquist
in Punch & Judy work that is really marvelous. The ponies, dogs and monkeys do tricks that
are almost human, among them being dogs and ponies that dance the cake walk,
the tango and the hesitation waltz with as much ease and grace and better time
than some human beings we have seen attempting the dances. Seibel Bros Show should draw large crowds every where this season — it gives clean, wholesome and
pleasing entertainments and no one who attends it will regret having paid the
price of admission. WG
10 08 CIRCUS IN WINTER QUARTERS
Seibel Bros. shows have returned to the city and now are at the
headquarters of the show on Main Street.
Seibel Bros. report a very successful season. The show deserves success, as it is one of
the very best dog and pony shows in America.
WG
c.1915
HORSE FROM SEIBEL BROTHERS, Tom Nack and Mother
1916
Winter
headquarters for show leaves Hartford, returns to Watertown 1916
is assumed date
1960
05 04 SEIBEL TO BE DEMOLISHED
One of the city's old and well constructed mansions, the former home of Edward and Emil Seibel, owners of the old Seibel Bros. Circus, is coming down to make way for a service station to be erected by the Clyman Oil Co. The home is at 802 [actually 804] Main Street. In more recent years it was owned and occupied by the late Dr. A .B. [A. H.] Hartwig, one of the city's mayors, and later by his son, Attorney Harold W. Hartwig.
Cross References:
Tale about the Seibel pony
that was purchased by local butcher Walter Nack for
his children
Emil Seibel, dau of, Mrs. Fred Snyder, 1920, Mention of
Gentry Bros’ Trained Show
05 27 1903
Gentry Bros’ Famous Trained Animal Show will exhibit at Watertown,
Monday, June 8th.
Gentry Bros, have four shows and Watertown will have the opportunity of
seeing No. 1 show. In other words the
big eastern show that made all the larger cities the past several seasons. No doubt the children will be happy to hear
this great show will make this city this season. Never before have Gentry Bros, ever carried
such an expensive show. This is their
last and best effort to give the public a revelation in animal training.
The famous Gentry Shows, composed of the largest herds of handsome dogs, intelligent ponies, comical monkeys and sagacious baby elephants ever seen, will soon visit this city. The exhibition this season is nearly twice as large as on its former visits here and it is now classed as the largest as well as the best show of its kind in the world. In fact the Gentry Brothers have a monopoly on this sort of entertainment. This is the fifteenth year of the attraction’s continued prosperity, and in its reconstructed form it is vastly superior in its many departments. The show will exhibit in Watertown, Monday, June 8th.
”Let Me Tell You A Story”, online article
History of Watertown, Wisconsin