Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1887-1901, 1941 (Creation)
Extent
0.75 cubic feet (1 oversize volume)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Opera Hotel register (1887-1901, 1941) includes names, addresses (generally limited to city if any), date/time, rooms rented, and a notes field. Since many of the guests were in the entertainment industry, many entries include creatively devised advertisements for the performances or other additional information on the group and type of entertainment provided. A note, dated 1941, appears to have been added by a later owner of the register. According to the River Falls Journal, the register was in the possession of W. A. Freeman when the fire that burned the building formerly housing the Opera Hotel, burned in 1921.
System of arrangement
Arranged chronologically by date of stay.
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
COLLECTION STORED, ALL or IN-PART, AT ARC: Collection can be requested for transfer through the Area Research Center (ARC) Network, consult Reading Room Staff.
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. Copyright may have not been transferred to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Languages of the material
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Originally constructed in 1884 as a roller rink, the Opera House was extensively remodeled by N. A. Thelander in 1886 to include space for a hotel and a public hall with stage. Thelander ran the Opera House until approximately 1914, after which the hall continued operation under other ownership. The Wisconsin Brown Safety Ladder Company purchased the building during WWI, using it for business operations and renting out some of the space to local businesses. On the evening of April 17th, 1921, the building that formerly housed the Opera Hotel was "entirely destroyed by fire of unknown origin...". In addition to numerous performances, the Opera House is known for having been the hotel patronized by Ringling Brothers Circus performers in June of 1893. The circus performance of June 21, 1893 was cut short when the circus tent was struck by lightning, resulting in a fire that killed 7 and seriously injured many others.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Barcode
OCLC
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Historical information taken from River Falls Journal, April 21, 1921 and the Sun, published out of Spring Valley, June 23, 1893.