Dolores Vallecita had performed at Luna Park in New York

Luna featured a number of shows, some free and some not. China's Fairy Fountains featured magic acts, monkeys were the orchestra at the Monkey Hippodrome, and the Helkvist's, a brother and sister act, dove into a small tank of water set ablaze, Performing animal acts included Mademoiselle Berzac's dancing ponies and Mademoiselle Dolores Vallecita's ferocious leopards.

link

Powered by Qumana

Death Comes to Leopard Trainer

Mrs. Dolly Hill succumbs Monday Night to Injuries Received Friday(Bay City Times-Tribune Tuesday, January 13, 1925 page 1)

After making a desperate struggle to cling to life since last Friday morning, death care to Mrs. Dolly Hill of new York City at Mercy hospital Monday evening at 11:55 as a result of injuriesreceived when she was attacked by a jungle loepard she was training in a downtiown building in which she had established winter training quarters. Her husband was with her when the end came.

Mrs. Hill, known in the circus as Dora Valiceda, had trained animals for over a quarter of a century and is said to have travelled through almost every country in the world. She was attacked by one of her animals in California several years ago. The leopard which made the attack on her last Friday was recently added to the five she has had there since last fall.

Mrs. Hill was in the large steel arena in the building when attacked. Another leopard in a smaller cage on one side of the arena was causing a disturbance and when Mrs. Hill momentarily turned her attention to quiet it, the animal sprang at her, clutching her around the throat and knocking her to the floor.

Her screams attracted Herber Craig of this city who had been employed by the woman. He unlocked the door of the arena and with the aid of a large, iron bar beat off the animal and was able to remove Mrs. Hill from the cage. Before he could notify police, he fainted. Mrs. Hill, in a serious condition, due to a loss of blood, was taken to Mercy Hospital in the police ambulance. Her arms, neck and back were injuried by the animal and her windpipe was punctured.

May 24, 1986 oral History - John C. Meagher to Sue M. David. said

Old City Hall Building

Elizabeth VandenBrooks Meagher "bought" the Saginaw Street building (part of the Andrew's estate) with her inheritance share.  It had formerly housed the City Council Chamber-City Hall.

Once W.J. Meager had rented it to someone who had kept wild animals there. 

Tags: Bay City, bay city michigan, saginaw street, old city hall, dora valiceda, Dolores Vallecita, leopard

Centennial Book

 
 

Inserted from: <file://C:\Documents and Settings\Welsh\My Documents\My Scans\History\Centennial Book.pdf>

Annie Edson Taylor

Changing Culture

I am amazed at the fidelity of the pictures that I now see when I watch a DVD on this computer. I recently viewed Merchant of Venice. The pictures were beautiful.

Saw Mill in Action

Sash Saw at Work

This mill is typical of thoses used in the very early days in Bay City approximately (1840-60). They would have been much too slow by the 1870's.

Life Ring May Be From Edmund Fitzgerald

 apple farmer and his family believe they've found a life ring from the Edmund Fitzgerald roughly 200 miles from where the famed ship sank in Lake Superior 32 years ago.

"I saw it, photographed it and ... compared the two," said Tom Farnquist, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. "It's identical in size and configuration. ... Is it possible? Certainly it is."

Joe Rasch said he was vacationing with his family last week in the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's far north. Hunting for rocks along a remote beach, he found the preserver near an overturned tree. His daughters noticed the writing, and realizing its potential significance, they took it to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, owned by the historical society.

Rasch said the ring was not laying in full view and that the area was remote. He said he and Farnquist agreed Rasch would hang on to the ring and bring it to the museum for its annual memorial service marking the anniversary of the sinking.

"Of the 6,000 ships ... lost on the Great Lakes, the Fitzgerald is the Holy Grail of all the shipwrecks," Farnquist said.

Link

The Wreck Of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Summertime Dream) 6:28
	The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee' The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early. The ship was the pride of the American side Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most With a crew and good captain well seasoned Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms When they left fully loaded for Cleveland And later that night when the ship's bell rang Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'? The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound And a wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the captain did too, T'was the witch of November come stealin'. The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the Gales of November came slashin'. When afternoon came it was freezin' rain In the face of a hurricane west wind. When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin'. Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya. At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in, he said Fellas, it's been good t'know ya The captain wired in he had water comin' in And the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night when his lights went outta sight Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours? The searches all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her. They might have split up or they might have capsized; May have broke deep and took water. And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters. Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings In the rooms of her ice-water mansion. Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams; The islands and bays are for sportsmen. And farther below Lake Ontario Takes in what Lake Erie can send her, And the iron boats go as the mariners all know With the Gales of November remembered. In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed, In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral. The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald. The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call 'Gitche Gumee'. Superior, they said, never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early!

	You are at: Home - Albums - Summertime Dream - The Wreck Of ..

Tags: Edmund Fitzgerald, Great Lakes, Ship Wreak, Gordon Lightfoot

Powered by Qumana

EXPLOSION OF DYNAMITE KILLS TWO SWITCHMEN Car Containing' Powder and Shells Blows up in Railroad Yards inMichigan.

BAY CITY, Mich.. Sept. 13.—Clarence D. Hopper and Roy Boucher, switchmen of the Michigan Central Railway, were killed to-day by an explosion of dynamite In a car In the yards at West Bay City. Robert Roblln, engineer, William Noble, fireman, and John C. Cradle, contractor, were Injured, the latter so severely that he may die. All of the trainmen were residents of this city.

The explosion occurred as a'switch engine was making up a train. The engine backed down upon several cars, the first containing 1000 pounds of dynamite, .a consignment of Lee-Metford rifles and a practice, and it is said that the force with which it struck the explosive laden car exploded the dynamite. Another report has it that one of the shells exploded and set off the dynamite. Hopper's body was badly mangled. A big hole was torn in the ground by the explosion, a score of freight cars demolished and  nearly 300 houses In the vicinity suffered, broken windows. Several houses were so badly wrecked as to . be uninhabitable. The
shock wave felt three miles from the scene.

I hadn't heard of this disaster.  The Bay City papers were no doubt filled wirh information on this topic.  The article above is from the San Francisco Call  Sept 14, 1903

Link to Article

Tags: Dynamite, Railroad Disasters, Bay City

Powered by Qumana

Sinking of the City of Venice

Link to Article

The Library of Congress has put ten years output of its newpaper project online.  This is the beginning of a new era in history research as you can see from this link.  I did a search on the the terms 'bay city michigan'  This article on the City of Venice came up.  It was printed in the Suburban Citizen, a paper that researchers would never see locally. 

Tags: Bay City, City of Venice, Great Lakes shipping, Ship collision, Lake Erie

Powered by Qumana

Bay City Theaters

Bay City Theaters

The Bay County Historical Society Museum Library has information on Bay City theaters. This video does  a great job of putting some of that together. 

Tags: Theaters, Bay City, State Theater, Michigan