Today In History; The Lion of The West Opens In New York City

1831: The play The Lion of the West, which opened at New York City's Park Theater, was based on the life of David (or Davy) Crockett. It was the first play written about Crockett but wouldn't be the last. Many films, television shows, plays, and books have celebrated the American frontiersman. Within his own lifetime, Tennessee-born Crockett came to represent the untamed American West, and his exploits were already told in factual accounts and folktales. He was a frontiersman, soldier, politician, and explorer, and his death at the Alamo made his legend immortal.