Colour view of the interpretive sign located on the west side of the Palace Grand. Caption: Palace Grand Theatre information sign. 1963 The script reads: Built on this site during the robust days of the Klondike gold rush, // the "Palace Grand" was the largest, most elaborate and only surviving // legitimate theatre in Dawson. "Arizona Charley" Meadows, famous American scout, Indian fighter and wild west showman had the theatre // built in 1899 and opened it on July 18th "in a blaze of glory and calcium lights." During the next few months management changed hands with the frequency // of a salted claim, but successive promoters regularly brought to the fun- // craving miners a wide variety of shows, at times featuring stars from // "the outside," some on the way up, some on the way down. The "Palace Grand" was renamed "The Savoy" in 1900 and "The Auditorium" in 1901. // Except for a brief period in the thirties when it was called the "Nugget // Dance Hall," it has since been known by the latter name. For a few // months, it was equipped with gambling tables and a bar. The "Palace Grand" was saved from destruction by the Klondike // Visitors Association, which purchased it and in 1961 turned it over to the Government of Canada. After it had been declared a National // Historic Site, it was restored in 1961-62 by the National Parks Branch // Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources.
