The Story
Swearengen opened the Gem Variety Theater on April 7, 1877, at Wall and Main in Deadwood's rough "Badlands." Behind a legitimate-looking stage it operated as one of the Old West's most profitable and notorious brothels, recruiting women through deceptive newspaper ads. The Gem burned in the 1879 Great Fire, again in 1894, and a final time in 1899 — when firefighters reportedly found the hydrant wrenches stolen and could only watch it burn. Swearengen left town and was murdered in Denver in 1904, a case never solved. HBO's "Deadwood" dramatized him heavily; note the show's 1876 start actually predates the Gem's real 1877 opening.
Surprising Facts
→ The Gem burned down three times — 1879, 1894, 1899 — and Swearengen rebuilt it twice.
→ During the final fire, someone had stolen the fire department's hydrant wrenches.
→ The real Swearengen didn't die at the Gem — he was murdered in Denver in 1904.