Gem Theater (Deadwood, South Dakota)
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Gem Theater (Deadwood, South Dakota)
The Gem Theater was a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, owned by Al Swearengen. Opening Swearengen opened the Gem Variety Theater on April 7, 1877, at the corners of Wall and Main streets to entertain the population of the mining camp with " prize fights" (as was customary with Swearengen's previous establishment the Cricket Saloon, no prizes were actually involved), stage acts consisting of comedians, singers and dancers, and primarily, prostitutes. Gambling was a main theme at the Gem, as was the Gem band, which played nightly from the balcony as a form of advertising. Management Swearengen recruited his prostitutes by advertising legitimate stage, cleaning, or waitressing jobs in his theater to desperate young women and advancing them the money for their (one way) trip; then, when they arrived, forcing them into what was essentially indentured servitude as prostitutes. Those who balked were first threatened with demands for repayment of the funds advanced to them for the t ...
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Al Swearengen
Ellis Alfred Swearengen (July 8, 1845 – November 15, 1904) was an American pimp and entertainment entrepreneur who ran the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, in Deadwood, South Dakota, for 22 years during the late 19th century. Personal life Swearengen (sometimes spelled Swearingen, Swearengin, Swearngir, etc.) and his twin brother Lemuel were the eldest two of eight children of Dutch American farmer Daniel J. Swearingen and Keziah "Katie" Montgomery of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Swearengen remained at home well into his adult years and only arrived in Deadwood in May 1876, with his wife, Nettie Swearengen. Nettie later divorced him on the grounds of spousal abuse. Swearengen married two more times; both of these marriages ended in divorce. Custer Prior to opening a business in Deadwood, Swearengen operated a dance house in Custer, South Dakota. As stated in the 1882 New Year Edition of the '' Black Hills Pioneer'', which described the early history of Custer, "Al Swearengen was runnin ...
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Denver
Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River, South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains (United States), High Plains east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. With a population of 715,522 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010 United States census, 2010, Denver is the List of United States cities by population, 19th most populous city in the United States and the fifth most populous state capital. Denver is the principal city of the Denver metropolitan area, Denver Metropolitan area (which includes over 3 million people), as well as the economic and cultural center of the broader Front Range Urban Corridor, Front Range, home to more than ...
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1877 Establishments In Dakota Territory
Events January * January 1 – Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India by the Royal Titles Act 1876, introduced by Benjamin Disraeli, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom . * January 8 – Great Sioux War of 1876: Battle of Wolf Mountain – Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their last battle with the United States Cavalry in Montana. * January 20 – The Conference of Constantinople ends, with Ottoman Empire, Ottoman Turkey rejecting proposals of internal reform and Balkan provisions. * January 29 – The Satsuma Rebellion, a revolt of disaffected samurai in Japan, breaks out against the new imperial government; it lasts until September, when it is crushed by a professionally led army of draftees. February * February 17 – Major General Charles George Gordon of the British Army is appointed Governor-General of the Sudan. March * March 2 – Compromise of 1877: The 1876 United States presidential election is resolved with the select ...
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Buildings And Structures Demolished In 1899
A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for numerous factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses, prestige, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the concept, see ''Nonbuilding structure'' for contrast. Buildings serve several societal needs – occupancy, primarily as shelter from weather, security, living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical separation of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) from the ''outside'' (a place that may be harsh and harmful at times). buildings have been objects or canvasses of much artistic expression. In recent years, interest in sustainable planning and building practi ...
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Drinking Establishments In South Dakota
Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among other animals. Most animals drink water to maintain bodily hydration, although many can survive on the water gained from their food. Water is required for many physiological processes. Both inadequate and (less commonly) excessive water intake are associated with health problems. Methods of drinking In humans When a liquid enters a human mouth, the swallowing process is completed by peristalsis which delivers the liquid through the esophagus to the stomach; much of the activity is assisted by gravity. The liquid may be poured from the hands or drinkware may be used as vessels. Drinking can also be by sipping or sucking, typically when imbibing hot liquids or drinking from a spoon. Infants employ a method of suction wherein the lips ...
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Buildings And Structures In Deadwood, South Dakota
A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout history for numerous factors, from building materials available, to weather conditions, land prices, ground conditions, specific uses, monument, prestige, and aesthetic reasons. To better understand the concept, see ''Nonbuilding structure'' for contrast. Buildings serve several societal needs – occupancy, primarily as shelter from weather, security, living space, privacy, to store belongings, and to comfortably live and work. A building as a shelter represents a physical separation of the :Human habitats, human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) from the ''outside'' (a place that may be harsh and harmful at times). buildings have been objects or canvasses of much architecture, artistic expression. ...
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American Frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the Geography of the United States, geography, History of the United States, history, Folklore of the United States, folklore, and Culture of the United States, culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonization of the Americas, European colonial settlements in the early 17th century and ended with the admission of the last few contiguous western territories as states in 1912. This era of massive migration and settlement was particularly encouraged by President Thomas Jefferson following the Louisiana Purchase, giving rise to the Expansionism, expansionist attitude known as "manifest destiny" and historians' "Frontier Thesis". The legends, historical events and folklore of the American frontier, known as the frontier myth, have embedded themselves into United S ...
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Bella Union Saloon
The Bella Union was a saloon and theater that opened on September 10, 1876, in Deadwood, South Dakota. The proprietor was Tom Miller, an aggressive businessman who would buy several neighboring properties as well. The Bella Union was a relatively upscale establishment where town meetings came to be held. In November 1878, Tom Miller went bankrupt, and the Bella Union became a grocery store downstairs and a meeting hall named Mechanics' Hall upstairs. In popular culture A fictionalized version of the saloon appeared in the HBO television series ''Deadwood'' (2004-2006), where the owner was the character Cy Tolliver. In '' Deadwood: The Movie'' (2019), which is set ten years after the third and final season of the television series, Tolliver has since died, and the saloon is now owned and run by its former madam Joanie Stubbs This article contains descriptions and biographies of fictional characters appearing in the HBO original television series '' Deadwood'' and in 2019's ...
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The Movie
"The Movie" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (and the 54th episode overall). It first aired on NBC in the United States on January 6, 1993. The episode revolves entirely around the characters' struggles to go to see a movie together. Plot Jerry has two stand-up acts scheduled for the same night; due to a delay in one of them, he cannot make both shows. A hopeful comedian, Buckles, hangs around to fill in when somebody drops out. Jerry intended to meet his friends to see a movie, ''CheckMate'', at 10:30. However, given the situation, he agrees to skip the movie and reschedule his act to the 11:00 slot. Jerry first heads to the earlier scheduled comedy act, only to learn that the act was scheduled for 9:15, not 9:50 as Jerry thought, and Buckles ended up filling his spot. Jerry then heads to the movie theater to inform his friends that he won't accompany them. Buckles insists on sharing the taxicab with Jerry, and irrit ...
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Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood (Lakota: ''Owáyasuta''; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its heyday from 1876 to 1879, after gold deposits had been discovered there, leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush. At its height, the city had a population of 25,000, attracting Old West figures such as Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and Wild Bill Hickok (who was killed there). The entire town has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, for its well-preserved Gold Rush-era architecture. The town has five unique history museums that are operated by Deadwood History, inc., a non-profit organization. Deadwood's proximity to Lead often prompts the two towns being collectively named "Lead-Deadwood". The population was 1,156 at the 2020 census, and according to 2023 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a pop ...
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Deadwood (TV Series)
''Deadwood'' is an American Western television series that aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006. The series is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before and after the area's annexation by the Dakota Territory, and charts Deadwood's growth from camp to town. The show was created, produced, and largely written by David Milch. ''Deadwood'' features a large ensemble cast headed by Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, playing the real-life Deadwood residents Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen, respectively. Many other historical figures appear as characters, including George Crook, Wyatt Earp, E. B. Farnum, George Hearst, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, A. W. Merrick, Jack McCall, and Charlie Utter. The plot lines involving these characters include historical truths as well as fictional elements. Milch used actual diaries and newspapers from 1870s Deadwood residents as reference points for characters, events, and t ...
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