E.A. Swearingen arrived in Deadwood in May, 1876 and camped on this lot. By the end of the week, he had a dancehall in full swing. A theater was opened in conjunction with the dance hall in 1877. Beer sold for $2 a bottle and wine for $10, in addition to the price of admission. The buildings were destroyed in the fire of 1879, but were rebuilt shortly thereafter. When the buildings burned again in 1899, the newspaper reported that "harrowing tales of iniquity, shame and wretchedness; of lives wrecked and fortunes sacrificed; of vice unhindered and esteem forfeited, have been related of the place, and it is known of a verity that they have not all been groundless."

Six months later, a second fire destroyed the adjacent buildings, occupied by the Holzbauer Dance Hall, the Black Hills Tailor Shop, and the Only Restaurant. The large vacant lot then became a gathering place for such events as football games and balloon ascensions. In 1921 the Gem Theater site saw construction of Deadwood s first gas station, known as the Log Cabin Filling Station. It was called "one of the beauty spots of the City", and a log attendant's residence was built next door. The log cabin was replaced in 1940 by a porcelain enamel Standard gasoline station, which was demolished in 1992. The attendant’s cabin was moved log-by-log and reconstructed on the Days of ’76 Rodeo Grounds on the North end of Main Street where it is currently used as an office and welcome center for the campground.

The interior of the Gem Theater - dance hall, saloon and house of prostitution, c.1880.
PHOTO COURTESY ADAMS MUSEUM, DEADWOOD

The Gem Theater located at 611 Main Street c.1878. The man in the buggy at left is thought to be Al Swearengen.
PHOTO COURTESY ADAMS MUSEUM, DEADWOOD