Deadwood, South Dakota - is not dead

 

Welcome to Deadwood, South Dakota

On the afternoon of August 2nd, 1876, James Butler Hickok was playing poker at the Nuttal and Mann’s’ Saloon #10, in Deadwood, South Dakota. Suddenly he was shot in the back of the head and died on the floor of the saloon, without ever seeing the face of his killer.

The murderer, was Jack McCall, who claimed he shot Hickok in revenge for the killing of his brother, supposedly by Hickok in Abilene. Kansas.  

The big problem with McCall’s story was that he never had a brother. Ooops!

The killing of one of America’s most famous lawmen, gamblers, adventurers, scouts, and all the rest which made James Butler Hickok a household name, better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was headline news around the world.

James Butler Hickok - 'Wild Bill'

In fact, the poker hand he was holding when murdered has become known as the Dead Man’s hand – two pairs, black aces and eights.

The infamous 'Dead Man's hand'

Wild Bill Hickok was thirty-nine years old when murdered.

Research shows the truth was very far from Jack McCall’s mind when he related the incidents of the day. He was tried for the killing and found innocent by a group of miners, since they bought the idea of Hickok being guilty of killing McCall’s brother.

The murderer then moved on to Wyoming and bragged to anyone with an ear that he had shot down the famous Wild Bill Hickok in a fair fight. Turns out there were some US Marshalls who did not believe him and rearrested him. Since the first trial was deemed illegal, he was tried in Yankton, the capital of the Dakota Territory a second time.

The facts in the case were brought out. Turns out, McCall had played poker the day before with Hickok and couldn’t control his liquor nor his cards. He lost pretty much all he had, and Hickok told him to stop playing out of pity. Hickok even gave McCall money for food, from his own winnings.

McCall took this as being disrespected, and returned the next day for revenge.

The ungrateful gambler was hanged in the spring of 1877 for murder. 

As we were touring South Dakota, Laureen and I decided to stop in Deadwood and take a look around. 

“The town where Wild Bill was killed,” I said. “It’s got to be a place to stop.”

“I would say so,” Laureen replied.

And so we did.

Deadwood is more than just a destination to investigate a fateful afternoon a hundred and forty-five years in the past. It’s much more – it is beautiful.

Beautiful countryside in Deadwood

Located in Lawrence County in South Dakota – actually the county seat, Deadwood sits at a little over 4,500 in elevation which makes it a bit cooler during the summer. Tall mountains surround the town filled with towering trees and bubbling creeks.

And, the name of the town is easy to understand – the early miners, who found gold there in the 1870’s, found some dead trees in the wide gulch where Deadwood is located.

“Let’s name it after the dead trees,” one miner was rumored to have said.

“Sounds great, we’ll call it Deadtree,” a second miner is rumored to have stated.

“Deadtree! Who is going to visit a town called Deadtree?” 

“True, Deadwood sounds much more inviting. Perhaps somebody in the future will make a television series and release it on HBO?”

“What’s a television, or an HBO?”

The second miner shrugged. “Don’t know, but thar’s gold in them thar hills, I betcha.”

True enough, Deadwood turned out to be one of the biggest gold strikes in American history. 

In fact, the Homestake Mine, only three miles to the southwest of Deadwood, opened in October of 1877 and was in production for over a century. It is known as the longest continuous gold mine in the United States.

Unfortunately, the gold had been found in the Black Hills belonged to the Lakota people according to the 1858 Treaty of Fort Laramie.

But the miners believed treaties were to be broken when the yellow metal was in the ground. And, so they dug and dealt with the natives harshly, being backed up numerous times by the United States Military.

The town became so successful, that by 1876 there may have been as many as twenty-five thousand people occupying the Black Hills in and around Deadwood, including the small town of Lead a few miles away.

With the population explosion, there also came folks looking for easier money than spending days digging in the dirt.

Saloons, gambling halls, opium dens, and shall we just say – other adult entertainment venues opened for the public, and the town went from a simple mining camp to a full-fledged city.

Downtown Deadwood, lots to do

Full-fledged meaning Deadwood became a pretty scary place with killings, thefts, and other crimes becoming rather rampant.

Not much law and order in many of the historical frontier towns at the time, and perhaps that is why so many people like to visit these places.

We do, but in full disclosure - we do not advocate for crime, of any nature. But, when it involves people we have read about from the past – it is rather cool to walk down the same streets that people like Wyatt and Morgan Earp, Seth Bullock, Calamity Jane, and of course, Wild Bill Hickok strolled.

A favorite haunt of Wild Bill's and others

They were entrepreneurs in a rough and tumble country. Most of the time, these folks were law abiding citizens, but sometimes they weren’t. Some were lawmen, turned cattle thieves, turned gamblers, and back to lawmen.

Laureen Beyer behind metal artwork of Wild Bill Hickok

Rather confusing really, but perhaps that is why it is called the Wild West.

Deadwood’s downtown looks pretty much like it did during its heyday. Which wasn’t an easy thing to accomplish since in August of 1876 smallpox ravaged the town, leaving many people very ill or dead.

Then on September 26th, 1879 a fire raged through the town destroying over three hundred buildings. It would take nearly a century to rebuild the area to what it once looked like.

Again, in September of 1959 another fire tore through the town. The folks were strong and rebuilt to the point that in 1961 the entire town was designated a National Historic Landmark, for ‘its well-preserved collection of late 19th-century frontier architecture’.

With the gold diminishing, and the opening of Interstate 90, which bypassed Deadwood, the population continued to dwindle.

Those darn interstates!

But, a few really ingenious organizers got together and proposed the Deadwood Experiment. Simple really, test and see if legalized gambling could spark interest in the town and keep it from further deterioration. 

A point of fact, only Nevada and Atlantic City had legalized gambling at this time. So, in 1989, the state legislature approved the experiment, making Deadwood the first small town in the United States to have gambling as a means of making revenue.

The experiment worked, and money was again flowing into the coffers of business owners of Deadwood.

In fact, actor Kevin Costner opened the Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant there in 1991, after starring in the film – Dances with Wolves in 1990. He held onto the business until selling it in 2020.

With added revenue, the town started to really rebuild and the tourists began flocking in like birds flying south for the winter.

In truth, I’m not entirely certain that really happens. I’ve seen flocks of birds doing donuts above my house in the middle of fall.

“The GPS is out again,” one duck was heard screaming at another duck.

According to, Lee Harstad, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Deadwood, “We see about two to three million visitors a year to Deadwood.”

That is a lot of tourists visiting a town of less than two thousand residents.

“We have so much to offer, all year long. I hate to say this, since it is said all the time, but we have something for everyone.”

I have heard that more than once, but Harstad is correct.

Deadwood has stuff for all ages to enjoy. There’s hiking, great restaurants, gambling, hotels, off road trails, museums, horseback riding, breweries, western re-enactment shows, and the list goes on and on. 

Stage Coach ride, anyone?

There are events planned all year round which would interest everyone. There’s the Sturgis Rally and Race, Octoberfest, Wild West Songwriter’s Festival, Wild Bill Days, Big Whiskey Festival, and my favorite, find the Sasquatch in the woods search - just to name a few.

Actually, according to Harstad, each month has multiple events for all age groups.

“The Black Hills are just beautiful, any time of the year and there is so much to do. We see our tourism picking up each and every season.”

Laureen and I sauntered through town. We do that, saunter when not in a hurry, and Deadwood is a town that needs to be sauntered.

We stopped in the saloon where James Butler Hickok was killed, and had an adult libation in his honor.

Laureen Beyer sitting at the bar in Saloon #10

The wild west was a time period in the United States that needs to be explored. 

And, Deadwood is one such place, but also a town to enjoy all it has to offer in the present.