The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-10
THISCITY Then NOW
How Anaconda Looked in 1883 to a
Traveller.
FIRST THEATER AND PLAY
What the Visitor Sees After Twelve
Years-His Experience In Those
Early Days-An Interest,"
ing Sketch.

The first theatrical performance ever
given in Anaconda was "A wires Hon
or" a play written by Lawrence Mars
ton. who is the husband and the ad-
vance agent of Lillian Lewis, the IA
nous actress. Mr.. Marston has writ
ten other plays-"As in a Looking
Glass" Two Old Cronies." Lady
Lii" "Hypocrite," and is the adapter
of the present attraction, Cleopatra,
which Miss Lewis is now playing In
her Northwestern tour.
DO / recall that first visit to Ana
conda? p" said Mr.. Marston. II should
say / did The recollection OF that
time of what this city was then and
the city as ] have seen II to-day, over
whelm me with the amazing growth
that but a few years can accomplish In
this Western country. 1t is like turn
ing the wilderness into a fairy land,
camp in the valley, unto busy city.
This afternoon l have walked the
streets of q cosmopolitan, metropoi-
tan city, equipped with all the convent
ences of the world-electric lights, cleo
trio transit, stately buildings, magnif-
cent plate glass store fronts, the side
walks thronged with people, the streets
crowded by traffic. You have as fine
hotel as / have ever made my nome IN
many years of travel.
the most wonderful newspaper enter
prise that / have ever seen or heard OF.
Think of itr' he exclaimed to his
companion, Mr.. Fitzgerald, there is
newspaper. shut out of Butte by
monopoly of press franchises, held by
it's rivals in the field. The journalists,
nothing daunted, come to Anaconda, 80
miles away. establish a complete bust
ness and editorial staff in Butte, beside
the chiefs and a staff in Anaconda,
with a second business office there, and
by special wires telegraphing Butte
news, by special trains carrying the pa
pers back to Butte, knock all competl-
tion into nothingness and have twice
the circulation in Butte that any news
paper has published in that city. Won
derful there's nothing like it in the
world.
These are things which 1 find in An
aconda now, where IL years ago l
found only a few scattered houses, the
entire population consisting OF about
500 men employed in the erection of
smelters. / think it was in December,
1888, John Mcguire says it was in an
uary, 1884, but you know John and /
fail to agree in this as well as in other
things.
I'm those days l was an actor. 1 am
an advance or press agent now. But
am proud of the distinction of having
pear in Anaconda. My Autographs
were the first that were put out mere.
and as / walked up what was called a
street-but what was in reality-some
mud with few houses on each side Of
IL, and pictures of me on the outside of
the houses, / thought to myself, how in
the name OF the Lord can a show do
any business here; but II did. / think
everyone of those 600 men were in the
two stores which we christened the
opera house, and were located some
where on lower Main street, / can't tell
where. They were seated. not in opera
chairs but on two-inch planks support
ed by nail kegs. The stage was boards
on trestles. The lights were furnished
by four small and two large kerosene
lamps. The play was A Wifes Hon
or but the center of attraction was
the big red hot stove in the corner of
the store: and l distinctly remember
that in the duel scene, when l had to
strip to trousers and shirt, l wished
could fight that duel right on top or
very near that stove. 1t was bitter cold
on those boards supported by the
trestles.
There were no dressing rooms. put
on my hussar uniform in the hotel and
walked to the theater-store, / mean.
What was then the hotel is now a con-
cert saloon on the corner of Main and
front street. II WASH a BOOu nOtel
at that time, but l wouldn't have told
the landlord what l thought about II
for a thousand dollar bill. ! had too
much regard for him and the little CAT
ling gun he termed a revolver TO do
that. l wore a silk hat then. silk hats
were not the fashion in Anaconda in
1888, and after several tin cans, with
more or less success, were SHE'D at Il,
shed the hat and bought a home pro-
duction for my head. There were no
bell boys in that hotel, and the guests
got what they wanted, and sometimes
what they didn't want-by going to the
office. There were no wash-bowls in
the rooms, the guests washed in tin
pans next door TO the Office, and a g.
yard towel was common property. j
had my own tooth brush.
We'll, ! played here two nights.
'Enoch Arden was the second bill.
and the 900 men were there again.
didn't know then how they could afford
II, but when / am told that even now
the lowest wages paid a laborer is So
per day, / can understand why Mon
tana is such a good state for shows.
II hope that by the time / come here
again, which will not be IL years from
now. that Anaconda will be still adj
vancing, and particularly hope that YOU
will have an opera house commensur-
ate with the city and the business
which is done"