In the early nineteenth century, a famous Irish political leader named Daniel O’Connell of Cahersiveen, County Kerry, had a donkey that he called Valiante. An old wives’ tale suggested that if a child had the measles, whooping cough, or any other childhood ailment, he or she could be cured by passing under and over O’Connell’s donkey […]
Archive for the ‘Animal Attractions’ Category
1911: Pat, The Old Irish Donkey of Arthur Avenue That Never Missed a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Posted: 9th March 2018 by The Hatching Cat in Animal AttractionsTags: Arthur Avenue, Michael O'Connell, New York City History, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day Parade
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1886: Uno and Billy, the Wyoming Bear and Harlem Goat That Wreaked Havoc at the Oak Point Pleasure Grounds in the Bronx
Posted: 26th November 2017 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Attractions, Goats of New YorkTags: Benjamin M. Whitlock, Bronx, Gabriel Leggett, Jim Pilkerton, New York History, Oak Point, Oak Point Pleasure Grounds, Whitlock's Folly, William Henry Leggett
What happens when an Indiana bear, a Harlem goat, a large crowd of people, and a Wild West cowboy with a silver-plated revolver all come together at a beer garden on the beach? Yes, the following story is from my file called “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up.” On January 8, 1886, two Harlem men […]
1906: Fred Sauter and His Stuffed Menagerie at 42 Bleecker Street, Part 1
Posted: 15th April 2017 by The Hatching Cat in Animal AttractionsTags: 42 Bleecker Street, Fred Sauter, New York History, Old New York, taxidermy
Fred Sauter did a thriving business stuffing deer, bears, lions, birds, monkeys, and even pet dogs and cats in his large warehouse at 42 Bleecker Street .
1855: Dennis, the Russian Bear That Fought at McLaughlin’s Dog Pit on First Avenue
Posted: 17th December 2016 by The Hatching Cat in Animal Attractions, Bear TalesTags: bear-baiting, James McLaughlin, McLaughlin's dog pits, New York City History, Peter Stuyvesant, rat-baiting, Theater for the New City
This story is not for the squeamish but it’s an important story to tell as it says a lot about society in New York City beforer the Civil War. Plus, there’s a lot of talk about Russian bears in the political news these days, so it’s a timely tale to tell.
