James McCue & His Circus Horses
by Laurie Thompson
In the early 1870s James McCue bought several hundred acres of land in the heart of Corte Madera for a country estate including 167 acres of ranch land between Alto Hill and the Bay.
McCue’s residence was located near the intersection of today’s Eastman and Buena Vista Drives in lower Chapman Park. His extensive acreage included vast orchards and pasture land as well as a half-mile race track on which to exercise his horses.
One of the reasons McCue raised horse was for his traveling circus. A Marin Journal article dated June 28, 1883 describes one of McCue’s circus performances in San Rafael:
Well it is odd how the people turned out to McCue’s Circus! The elite, the ton, the very crème de la crème poured into the tent and sat on the democratic benches, while the learned horses, the athletes, the tumblers, equestriennes and the trained dogs went through their marvelous roles. J. S. McCue was made for this business. No better horseman ever lived and his Copperhead colts, raised at Corte Madera, are the proof….
Originally published at https://annetkent.kontribune.com.
