PEARSON OPERA HOUSE

The Pearson Opera House was constructed in 1906 by contractor-architect Jay O`Banion for John Pearson. The Pearson Opera House dominated Belle Fourche`s social life until 1915 when it was remodeled and renamed the Iris Theatre.

The Pearson Opera House had the modern conveniences of its day: pressed steel siding, electric lights, ``automatic closing chairs,`` maple floors, and a painted scene of Venice on the curtain which dropped over the stage. The seating in the 40 foot by 100 foot building, including the balcony, held 500. The original 20 foot by 40 foot stage was expanded to 40 feet by 45 feet in 1909. The number of dressing rooms increased from four to seven to accommodate the larger companies of professional actors touring the country.

Plays were the main entertainment feature at the Pearson, and regional plays, particularly those set in New England, often played to standing-room-only crowds. In addition to the very popular regional plays, the Pearson often assumed an international air. Belle Fourche hosted plays from a variety of backgrounds. These ranged from Japanese plays to those of Mexican and Norwegian descent. However, the english classics such as ``Romeo and Juliet`` were presented infrequently due to moderate audiences, not only in Belle Fourche but throughout the Midwest.

Many traveling vaudeville shows were self-contained ``tent shows,`` but the Great Eastern Novelty Show which appeared at the Pearson in 1990 was a favorite of the community. The show was comprised of seven acts: London Hunt, the ``European flexible society serial trapeze;`` Florence Hunt, the ``Magic Queen,`` impersonated Herman the Great; Toodles, ``the educated dog that actually sings;`` Miss Lula Cullum, ``the dainty comedienne and sweet-toned whistler;`` and ``up-to-date moving pictures.``

Musical entertainment presented at the Pearson varied from mezzo sopranos to minstrel shows to bands such as Aberdeen`s South Dakota State Band, Fort Meade`s Fourth Calvary Band, the Longfellow Juvenile Orchestra, and the Belle Fourche Concert Band.

Citizen lecture courses were available for many years during the autumn and winter at a price of 50 cents per lecture or $2.50 per season. Lecturers included Marian Fiske, ``the celebrated crayon artist and cartoonist;`` Cole Younger, the sole surviving member of the infamous Younger Gang, with a lecture entitled, ``What Life Has Taught Me;`` and ``The Great Scotch Reader,`` Katherine Oliver McCoy.

The Pearson also hosted numerous civic events. They included high school and eighth grade graduations, political rallies, bazaars sponsored by local clubs, poultry shows, the First Annual Butte Country Industrial Show, the Annual Fireman`s Ball, and the first ``serious`` demonstration for women`s suffrage held in Butte County.

Special attractions at the Pearson included, ``Parsifal`` which was the highest priced moving picture in existence. Athletic expositions included a two-out-of-three falls wrestling match governed by Police Gazette Rules between the Pacific Coast champion Chris ``The Terrible Swede`` Pearson and Nebraska champion Pete Rooney. Films were also quite popular. The variety included DeVault Talking Pictures which were ``positively the latest craze,``; 4,000 feet of film showing the twenty-one round Nelson-Gans prize fight ``from training camp to knock out``; Roosevelt`s hunting expedition to Africa on 3,000 feet of film; and, in 1914, Edison`s Kinetophone, also known as ``Talking Pictures,`` made their debut in Belle Fourche.

The Pearson Opera House was remodeled in 1915 to house ``the motion picture machine`` and to meet state fire ordinances. On September 1 of that same year, the Pearson Opera House officially became the Iris Theatre. Even though many of the same events continued to be held there, the new entertainment craze was ``talking pictures,`` which were made possible by ``Wizard Edison`s genius.``

The Pearson Opera House had several managers, most notable of whom were Jay O`Banion and R.L. Bronson during the early years, and Peterson and Rohlf at the time it became the Iris. The property remained in the Pearson family until 1928, when it was sold to James and Emma O`Neill of Spearfish. The original building was soon torn down after it became property of the Black Hills Amusement Company which built the brick Belle theatre building on the lot in 1930. The Ben Franklin store is presently located in the Belle Theatre building and on the lot that once was the social center of Belle Fourche.