ABSTRACT
Traveling medicine shows and entertainments existed in colonial times and continued to grow in size and scope during the 1800s. The shows offered a variety of entertainment, from vaudeville to circus acts, from minstrels in blackface to magic shows. The biggest and best known shows were the “Kickapoo Indian” or Wild West shows staged by John E. Healy and “Texas Charley” Bigelow. As many as 75 Kickapoo shows toured the country at a time. 1 Each troupe was staffed with half-a-dozen Native Americans, a “scout,” and several others. An Indian “medicine man” would impressively describe the virtues of the particular remedy in his native language, while the “scout” interpreted his speech. Remedies included the popular “Kickapoo Indian Sagwa,” and the “Kickapoo Cough Cure.” 2
