Has anyone family memories of Buffalo Bill's circus when he came to Sheffield. My Grandmother who was born in 1883 used to tell me she saw the parade through town when she was a girl. Can anyone put some flesh on this distant memory.

10th - 15th august 1891 was the dates for the sheffield shows .

Yes - Buffalo Bill's "Wild West Show" came to Sheffield in 1891. An Internet source http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/STAFFORDSHIRE/2004-04/1080837678 quotes this contemporary newspaper report:

In August 1891 Buffalo Bill's circus arrived in Sheffield with its 200 strong company including 90 Sioux Indians. You could not miss "Buffalo Bill". He was a larger than life character, 6ft-2in tall with long hair down to his shoulders, a goatee beard and wearing buckskins and big boots. Colonel William "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show was a huge hit with the Victorians and helped to create the legend of the Wild West on both sides of the Atlantic. The circus pulled up at the railway station in three trains totalling 72 passenger and freight carriages. Within hours they had built their own arena, and set up the field kitchen cooking chops and steaks for breakfast, at a site on Penistone Road where they stayed for a week. The arena was a third of a mile in circumference. Major John Burke arrived in advance of Buffalo Bill's circus, an early public relations man. He initiated this country into American marketing techniques. He called at the local newspaper office and told them that he had a story. He then said that there was no need to write it, as he had already done that himself and handed the editor a Press kit, probably Britain's first Press release. When the circus left they were one Indian short, Paul Eagle Star. The 25-year-old brave lost his foot when his horse stumbled and fell on the afternoon of the first performance. He was rushed to the Sheffield Infirmary but gangrene set in. Although the surgeons operated he died after the circus left town. News of his untimely death cast a deep gloom over the encampment.

There was a long-running belief that Paul Eagle Star was buried in Wardsend Cemetery but this apparently isn't true.

I worked at The Burton Street project in Hillsborough and an old American coin was found in the old school yard once, I think its date tallied with this event.

Has anyone family memories of Buffalo Bill's circus when he came to Sheffield. My Grandmother who was born in 1883 used to tell me she saw the parade through town when she was a girl. Can anyone put some flesh on this distant memory.
Strangely enough I was discussing this topic with someone a few nights ago!

From what I can gather he staged a 'Wild West' show somewhere in the Langsett Road/Hillsborough area around the 1890's and I think there was a true Red Indian who used to perform a rain dance and was part of his 'Circus'!

Purplecat21, I wouldn't be at all surprised at the find as they apparently did visit that area.

According to the Sheffield Local Register, Buffalo Bill's Show was also in Sheffield in 1903, starting on October 12th.

Hugh

my grandad went to see the wild west show , i think he said it was somewhere in attercliffe but he,s been dead now for a number of years so i can,t help any further but apparently it was a spectacular show and lived long in his memory .