Bella Union Saloon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Bella Union was a saloon and theater in Deadwood, South Dakota, which opened on September 10, 1876^[1]. The proprietor was Tom Miller, an aggressive capitalist who would buy several neighboring properties as well. A fictionalized version of the saloon appeared in the HBO television series Deadwood, where the owner was the character Cy Tolliver.

Like the television Bella Union, the real saloon was a relatively upscale establishment, where town meetings came to be held.

While many of the characters in the television show are based on real characters, others are entirely fictional and other than known historical facts many of the actions and events are fictional.

In November 1878, Tom Miller went bankrupt, and the Bella Union became a grocery store downstairs, and a meeting hall named Mechanics' Hall upstairs.

1. ^ Deadwood SD Revealed (which cites the "Black Hills Daily Pioneer"). Retrieved on 1 August 2006.