Today’s photo is a bit on the mediocre side, notable in this project mostly as the first time so far that a photo has featured people (however non-prominently).
The value here lies in the story behind it. Or more specifically, the story behind the bank building in the left-hand side of the shot. It’s a fairly ordinary bank building now, but back in the 1860s this spot was the location of the Union Theater, once considered the most prominent theatre venue between St. Louis and Sacramento.
The part of the theater’s history that intrigues me is a December 1863 performance of Richard III featuring the soon-to-be-infamous John Wilkes Booth in the lead. Documents unearthed after the Civil War clearly identify Booth as a Confederate agent. Though he might have been in Kansas merely pursuing his calling as an actor, it’s at least possible that his real purpose was to spy on Federal military activity at the fort.
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