Entertainment in the Old West

Download or read book Entertainment in the Old West written by Jeremy Agnew and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.