Tom Moran and Tom Sewell Fantasy by the Sea Peace Press: Culver City, CA, 1980 (1979) (Originally published by Beyond Baroque Foundation with a grant from the Visual Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.)
Introduction
"From its very beginning an aura of fantasy surrounded the tiny Southern California community of Venice. Shortly after the turn of the century, Abbot Kinney, a wealthy and eccentric developer, announced he was going to recreate Italy's ancient city of canals on a tract of swamp and sand . . .
" . . .
"The cultural ambitions were to flounder and the illusion of an Italian Venice soon became transparent. The town took on a different flavor. Its principal industries became amusement and diversion. Circus clowns, jazz trumpets and thrill rides established Venice as the setting for escape from worldly care. The atmosphere of temporal delight was to make Venice a resort of national reputation."
Circus
"Abbot Kinney invited the Sell-Floto Circus to spend the winter season of 1906-1907 at Venice. The circus arrived by train and set up headquarters near the Midway-Plaisance.
"During the week the circus performers practiced their acts for the spring touring season. On weekends they gave big-top performances for the Venice tourist crowds.
"Sells-Floto returned for the 1907-1908 winter Its featured acts included Del Fugo the clown, the Eddy family of acrobats, Sharpe's equestrian team, Buffalo Bill and Zora, "the world's bravest woman."
"The Ranch 101 Wild West Show wintered at Venice with a complement of 400 horses and 100 Indians.
"Paul Shoup, president of the Pacific Electric Railroad, and Abbot Kinney negotiated with the Al G. Barnes circus to establish permanent winter quarters at Venice.
"The Barnes Circus arrived in 1910 with a payroll of 506 employees and a menagerie of 600 animals. Highlighting animal trainers Louis Roth and Mabel Stark, the circus featured boxing kangaroos, wrestling bears and a singing mule.
"Problems of coexistence with the residential population plagued the circus people. A 1919 petition asked that the circus not be permitted to return to Venice because of "diseases, the low element they attract and the destruction of property they cause."
"The Al Barnes circus was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1929. Sells-Floto was absorbed by Ringling the following year."