Entertainment in the Old West

Miners, loggers, railroad men, and others flooded into the American West after the discovery of gold in 1848, and entertainers seeking to fill the demand for distraction from the workers’ daily toil soon followed. Actors, actresses and traveling troupes crisscrossed the American frontier, performing in tents, saloons, fancy theaters, and the open air. This exploration of the heyday of popular theater in the Old West chronicles its emergence and growth from 1850 to the early twentieth century. Here is the story of the men and women who provided myriad types of entertainment in the Old West, and brought excitement, laughter and tears to generations of pioneers.

Jeremy Agnew, a biomedical electronics consultant, holds a Ph.D. in engineering and has been involved in the design and manufacture of medical devices for more than 30 years. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and has written several books on the Old West.

Jeremy Agnew
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 241
Bibliographic Info: 41 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-6280-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8645-8
Imprint: McFarland

Entertainment Milestones      viii
Preface      1

1. On with the Show      3
2. Entertainment for Everyone      23
3. Women as Actresses      43
4. Strutting Their Stuff      55
5. Bright Lights of the Pacific Coast      76
6. Theaters Across the Old West      95
7. A Few of the Famous      119
8. The Amateurs      143
9. Medicine Shows      161
10. Motley Pleasures      175
11. The Wild West Shows      192

Afterword: The Stage Lights Dim      209
Chapter Notes      215
Bibliography      225
Index      229

“I liked this book very much”—Cyber Boxing Zone; “well researched, documented, an interesting and enjoyable read…Agnew does an excellent job of compiling a compendium on just about every possible entertainment used to rally a small western town…an excellent reference volume that should grace the western writer and researcher’s bookshelf for years to come. Agnew’s much needed contribution to the field is a breath of fresh air…full of fascinating trivia and facts”—Wild West History Journal.