The traveling shows begin partially in response to the public having little trust in doctors and their "miracle cures" in this era. Doctors travel in the shows to market their work and increase sales.

The Kickapoo "Indian Medicine" Company, which is one of the largest traveling medicine shows, performs sham Native presentational ceremonies, such as "war dances" and marriages. The company also presents other forms of entertainment, such as vaudeville shows, trained dog acts, dances, and acrobatics. They will spread opiate use into small towns and rural areas, selling the "King of Pain" and "Sagwa’s Salves, Remedies and Cures," which are both opiate-based products claiming a purported connection with "traditional Indigenous medicine." The show will remain active until the 1920s.