Deadwood

The discovery of gold in the southern Black Hills in 1874 set off one of the great gold rushes in America.  In 1876, miners moved into the northern Black Hills of South Dakota.  That's where they came across a gulch full of dead trees and a creek full of gold and Deadwood was born.

Practically overnight, the tiny gold camp boomed into a town that played by its own rules and attracted outlaws, gamblers and gunslingers, not to mention gold seekers.  Wild Bill Hickok was one of those men who came looking for fortune.  But just a few weeks after arriving in Deadwood, he was gunned down while holding a poker hand of aces and eights - forever known as the Dead Man's Hand.

Deadwood has survived three major fires and numerous economic hardships, pushing it to the verge of becoming another Old West ghost town.  But in 1989, limited-wage gambling was legalized and Deadwood was reborn.

What a fun, quirky little town and it is one of our favorites.  Not for the gambling, although we did walk out with $40, but for the history.  Wait - WHAT????

No, we didn't go inside

Seth Bullock was a frontiersman, business proprietor, politician, sheriff, and U.S. Marshall.  He was a prominent citizen in Deadwood from 1876 until his death in 1919, operating a hardware store, serving as sheriff of Deadwood, and later a large hotel, the Bullock Hotel.

Back to Wild Bill Hickok.  James Butler Hickok (aka Wild Bill) was a folk hero known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights.  He gained notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself.  Some reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation.

Wild Bill now has a bar named after him.

The bar is beautiful.

Since we'd been in the room behind the doors where Wild Bill was killed in 1876, we decided to forego the $10 per person fee to see it again.  Inflation is hitting everywhere - it used to be free.

There was quite a display of chain saw carvings.

Dead Man's Hand

Of course, we had to visit the cemetery.

Inflation strikes again - I've never had to pay to enter a cemetery before.  At least it was only $2.00 a piece.

A gift shop?????

No cars allowed so we made the trek up the mountain on foot.

The "attraction" point in the cemetery was the grave of Wild Bill.

Martha Jane Cannary, also known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller.  In addition to many exploits, she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill.  She is said to have exhibited compassion to others, especially to the sick and needy.  This facet of her character contrasted with her daredevil ways and helped to make her a noted frontier figure.  She was also known for her habit of wearing men's attire.

What's the story about her wanting to be buried beside Wild Bill?  After her death, four of the men who planned her funeral later stated that Hickok had "absolutely no use" for Jane while he was alive, so they decided to play a posthumous joke on him by burying her by his side.  Another account states: "in compliance with Jane's dying requests, the Society of Black Hills Pioneers took charge of her funeral and burial in Mount Moriah Cemetery beside Wild Bill".  No matter which account is true, Jane is, in fact, buried next to Wild Bill.

That's Jane with the monument that has a "bowl" on top.

Another interesting person is Seth Bullock.  He's WAAAYYY up at the top of this hill.

When we were here before (and much younger), Ron actually hiked up to the top of the hill to see the grave.  Why is he buried up there?  We learned that he and Teddy Roosevelt had a great friendship and President Roosevelt lived at the top of a hill across town that was (and still is) known as Mount Roosevelt.  Seth Bullock said he wanted to be able to see Mount Roosevelt from his burial site, hence at the top of the hill where he could see the mountain.  The trees have all grown up enough now that Mount Roosevelt is no longer viewable from Bullock's gravesite.

If you're looking for a good series to watch, check out the series Deadwood to learn more about the town (although much of it may be fictional).  But if you do, be sure the kids are out of the room and you don't mind swearing.