Eugene Laurant was born
Eugene Greenleaf August 1875, in Denver, Colorado. He said his interest in magic came all
out of a box of tricks in his youth. By fifteen, he billed himself as
"Eugene the Boy Magician". He was a part of vaudeville act known as
the Carl Nillson's Flying Ballet The Nillson troupe continued to tour and
Eugene moved on and joined The Magnascope Company.
He was one of four acts
that performed in between each movie seen. His big break came in 1899 when he
was contracted to play at Chutes Park in San Francisco. The park had
been opened for four years and their idea was to bring the entertainment to the
throngs of attendees. In between taking a ride on the 350-foot Shoot the
Chutes, the participants could ride the Scenic Railway roller Coaster, the
multi-horse carousel, take aim and try their luck at the shooting gallery, play
the games at the penny arcade, or be a part of the show at the park's three
thousand seat theater. 
