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Call Number
CWM Mss 8

Title

Braathen, Sverre O., Papers, 1908-1974 (bulk 1960-1974)    2 c.f. (2 boxes)

Biography

Sverre Braathen was an avid circus fan and collector. Braathen’s interest in the circus began as a boy when he watched a performance of the Gollmar Brothers Circus at Mayville, North Dakota. During World War I, Braathen served in the U.S. Navy as a coronet player in the band onboard the U.S.S. Kearsarge. After he was discharged from the service he studied law, became an attorney, and moved to Wisconsin where he worked with Herman Sachtien, a Wisconsin State Assemblyman and Circuit Court Judge. He was a member of the Zor Temple Shrine and Lions Club, in addition to being active in the Circus Fans Association of America and the Windjammers. His combined passion for both music and the circus led to a lifetime of attending circus shows across the country which in turn resulted in the amassing of a significant collection of materials including business materials, route books, periodicals, and correspondence with numerous circus personnel.

Scope and content
The collection is a consolidation of three separate acquisitions made by Circus World Museum between 1982 and 1994 and was organized into its present arrangement by staff archivist Timothy Spindler in 1994. The collection documents Braathen’s research activities concerning circus music and its history, including a series of lists and notes regarding circus band directors and members of circus bands.  The collection also includes news clippings, correspondence relating to his efforts to get permits and licenses for circuses, as well as several unpublished manuscripts including “The Golden Age of Spangle Land” written by Sverre O. and Faye O. Braathen in 1963

The major portion of Braathen’s collection was donated to the Milner Library at Illinois State University in Bloomington, IL.

Presented to Circus World Museum by Mattie Olstadt, Brian Kappell and Cam McCarthy

Container List
Box     Folder
Box 1      Folder 1                  Adam Forepaugh Circus & Forepaugh-Sells Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 2                  Al G. Barnes Circus bands notes, undated                     
Box 1      Folder 3                  Alexander, Russell correspondence, 1960-73 
Box 1      Folder 4                  Band audio recording catalog, undated                          
Box 1      Folder 5                  Band book references, undated                        
Box 1      Folder 6                  Band catalog of circus bands in collection, undated                    
Box 1      Folder 7                  Band compositions with same names notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 8                  Band compositions with same names notes, undated                  
Box 1      Folder 9                  Band directors notes, correspondence, undated
                                              Band directors
Box 1      Folder 10                                A-E notes, undated            
Box 1      Folder 11                                F-L notes, undated             
Box 1      Folder 12                                M-R notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 13                                S-Z notes, undated
                                               Band members
Box 1      Folder 14                                A notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 15                                B notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 16                                C notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 17                                D notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 18                                E notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 19                                F notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 20                                G notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 21                                H notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 22                                I-J notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 23                                K notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 24                                L notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 25                                M notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 26                                N notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 27                                O notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 28                                P-Q notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 29                                R notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 30                                S notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 31                                T notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 32                                U-W notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 33                                Y-Z notes, undated
                                               Bands
Box 1      Folder 34                                A-B notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 35                                C-D notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 36                                E-H notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 37                                I-L notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 38                                M-P notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 39                                R-S notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 40                                T-Z notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 41                Barnum & Bailey Circus bands notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 42                Beggs, J.W. correspondence, 1958  
Box 1      Folder 43                Buffalo Bill’s Wild West bands, undated
Box 1      Folder 44                Carl Fisher Inc. correspondence, 12 April 1957
Box 1      Folder 45                Carnival bands notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 46                CBS radio program, 1944
Box 1      Folder 47                Christmas card orders correspondence, 1967-72
Box 1      Folder 48                Christmas cards, undated
Box 1      Folder 49                Christy Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 50                Circus Fans Association resolutions, 1953, undated
Box 1      Folder 51                Circus history manuscript, undated
Box 1      Folder 52                Circus income manuscript, undated
Box 1      Folder 53                Circus museum correspondence, 1952-54
Box 1      Folder 54                Circus music composers notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 55                Circus musician history correspondence, 1971, undated
Box 1      Folder 56                Circus, 1830 to date manuscript, undated
Box 1      Folder 57                Clyde Beatty Circus bands notes, undated
Box 1      Folder 58                Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus correspondence, 1969-73
Box 2      Folder 1                  Cole Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 2                  Cole Bros. Circus photographs inventory, undated
Box 2      Folder 3                  Collection value notes, correspondence, 1942-59
Box 2      Folder 4                  Columbia Music and Electronics Corp. correspondence, 1968
Box 2      Folder 5                  Correspondence, 1941-57
Box 2      Folder 6                  Crest Records Inc. brochure, notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 7                  Cristiani Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 8                  Cristiani Bros. Circus correspondence, 1958-59
Box 2      Folder 9                  Delavan circus stamp correspondence, 1965-66
Box 2      Folder 10                Downie Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 11                Evans, Merle essay, clippings, programs, 1967, 1971, undated
Box 2      Folder 12                Fidelty Sound Recordings correspondence, 1961         
Box 2      Folder 13                Fillmore, Henry article, December 1960
Box 2      Folder 14                Gentry Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 15-17          The Golden Age of Spangle Land, unpublished typescript, By Sverre O. and 
                                                        Faye O. Braathen, and letter, 1963.
Box 2      Folder 18                Golden Crest Records, Inc. correspondence, brochure, 1972, 1974
Box 2      Folder 19                Gollmar Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 20                Great Wallace Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 21                Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 22                Hoe, Robert Jr. correspondence, 1972-74
Box 2      Folder 23                Howes’ Great London Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 24                Hughes, A.W. correspondence, 1972
Box 2      Folder 25                Hunt Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 26                Hunting Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 27                Illinois State University donation lists, correspondence, 1969-70
Box 2      Folder 28                Instrumentalist magazine clippings, correspondence, 1956-71
Box 2      Folder 29                Italian bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 30                J.H. LaPearl’s Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 31                John Robinson Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 32                Kelly-Miller Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 33                King Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 34                Kings Bros. Circus correspondence, 1955, 1971-74
Box 2      Folder 35                King, Karl L. correspondence, clippings, programs, 1962-72
Box 2      Folder 36                Lewis Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 37-39          Madison, WI circus dates notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 40                Mighty Haag Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 41                Miller Bros. 101 Ranch Wild West bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 42                Miller, Dorey correspondence, 1952
Box 2      Folder 43                Mills Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 44                Moss, Earl notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 45                Music cuing performance correspondence, 1958
Box 2      Folder 46                Obituaries, 1908-73
Box 2      Folder 47                Parallel development of bands and circuses in this country manuscript, undated
Box 2      Folder 48                Phonograph Record catalogs, fall 1968
Box 2      Folder 49                Polack Bros. Circus press notices, 1959
Box 2      Folder 50                Red Wagon Rythms manuscript, undated
Box 2      Folder 51                Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 52                Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus slides inventory, undated
Box 2      Folder 53                Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus petition, 1956
Box 2      Folder 54                Ringling Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 55                Rogers Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 56                Sanford, Hestor Ringling correspondence, 1958
Box 2      Folder 57                Schlarbaum, Charles correspondence, resume, 1974
Box 2      Folder 58                Sells-Floto Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 59                Slides inventory, undated
Box 2      Folder 60                Sparks Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 61                Storm, Charles W. correspondence 1957-8
Box 2      Folder 62                Sun Bros. Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 63                Tilley, W. Hope correspondence 1957-8
Box 2      Folder 64                Tinney, Charles band catalog, undated
Box 2      Folder 65                U.S. Marine band correspondence, 1957
Box 2      Folder 66                U.S. Navy bands notes, articles, 1971-73
Box 2      Folder 67                Windjammer correspondence, 1972
Box 2      Folder 68                Wisconsin circus musician notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 69                Wisconsin circus regulations notes, 1960-5
Box 2      Folder 70                Wisconsin newspaper note, 1944
Box 2      Folder 71                Walter L. Main Circus bands notes, undated
Box 2      Folder 72                Miscellaneous items