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Unlike the
HBO Deadwood series portrays, the
Bella Union was
not a wild and wooly gambling hall, but actually advertised itself as
"Entertainment for ladies and families" and "Entertainment without
ordinary vulgarities of show."
Though more "upscale" than the other
entertainment venues in the camp, it did, however, offer liquor and a few
gambling tables.
Featuring stage performances, trapeze acts,
wrestling tournaments, sparring expeditions, and more, The
Bella Union Theatre,
built by Tom Miller in 1876, was the grandest place in
Deadwood.
With 30' ceilings, 3 grand entrances, 17 private boxes, and stretching
some 120 feet in length, her grand private reception room became the
central meeting place for the town folks of
Deadwood. However, the
Bella Union's
life was short as just two years after the
Bella Union was
built, Miller went bankrupt and the theatre was was dismantled in
November, 1878 and the scenery, properties, and fixtures sold. The large
lower floor became a grocery store and storage facility, while the upper
floor became a meeting room called the Mechanics Hall. Perkins and
Company attempted to resurrect the theatre's once
great popularity by producing a new play in the old Mechanics Hall in
January, 1879. However, as published in the Black Hills Daily
Times, the town couldn't support yet another theater by that time.
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