The Chautauqua movement had its roots in Lake Chautauqua, New York. The mystifying Indian name eventually became familiar in many cities and towns across the nation. After the Civil War, Methodists in the area held revivals at facilities near the lake. "By the mid-seventies, those old shouting and praying 'revivals' under canvas were petering out."¹  The educational movement that bore the name Chautauqua originated as an annual camp meeting, offering courses for Sunday school teachers. John H. Vincent, a Methodist bishop, and Lewis Miller operated this camp and are credited with the first Chautauqua and the movement that followed. Out of the Lake Chautauqua assembly came not only the tent show, but the American system of adult education, that became widely popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The first meeting was a great success. The gathering was designed to teach religion and Biblical lore to those who came. Soon, this local assembly grew, resulting in the opening of theaters and hotels around the vicinity of Chautauqua. By the mid 1870s, famous orators, writers, and educators were coming from all over to speak in front of the crowds.