The Wagon Train Show was commissioned in 1975 by the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania as the Commonwealth’s principal observance of the nation’s Bicentenary. The show premiered on June 7, 1975, in Blaine, Washington. During the next year five companies set out from Washington, California, Texas, Florida and Maine, traversed the United States, and converged on Valley Forge, Pennsylvania on July 4th, 1976. The various companies gave more than 2000 performances in town parks, campsites, memorial fields, and auditoriums all across America.
Each Wagon Train Show company had six performers, three men and three women who also played the accompanying instruments: piano, guitars, electric bass guitar, wood block and tambourine.
The music for the Show was composed by Don Tucker and Bruce Trinkley, with lyrics by Roger Cornish and Don Tucker. The director was Manuel Duque, costumes were designed by Montez King, and Delbert Boarts provided technical assistance. The Wagon Train Show was produced by the Music and Theatre Departments of The Pennsylvania State University, with Douglas Cook serving as Executive Producer.
