Deadwood, South Dakota, United States
I believe this is my fifth trip to South Dakota since I
first took a trip to the West in 1988. I have been in South Dakota numerous
other times en route to other places, but this is the fifth time I am actually touring
around the Black Hills and Badlands regions in the western part of the state. However,
the most I think I ever saw of Deadwood, the region’s historic mining town, was
likely just driving through. I am quite certain I did not previously stop and
look around at what there is to see.
Once a gold mining town and one of the wildest towns of the
Old West, famous as the place Wild Bill Hickok met his demise, since 1989 the
town has been best known as a gaming destination. It was in 1988 that the state’s
voters passed a constitutional amendment allowing for gambling in the state with
the first casinos opening the following year. I’m not much of a gambler, so the
gaming is not much of an appeal to me, but certainly the historic town, now largely
and attractively renovated, should have attracted me for a visit on my previous
trips.
Well, the good thing about travel is that there is always something new
to see.
In picking accommodation for Deadwood, I chose the historic
Franklin Hotel in the heart of town, very atmospheric and only a few dollars
more for the night than less historic and conveniently located places on the
outskirts of town. The room was fine,
but the corridors felt old and kind of spooky.
I imagine Deadwood is pretty busy during the summer, but Deadwood
was rather dead on Sunday night and Monday in early October. And dang, we just missed the Oktoberfest held
that weekend. Deadwood is full of small kitschy attractions like a visitable
former brothel and a mine tours. However, most of the small museums and a
historic home were closed on Monday. We contented ourselves browsing tee shirt
shops, tastings at a brewery and a distillery, a lunch of bison burgers, and
wandering around admiring the late 19th century architecture.
Afterwards we stopped at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood’s own Boot Hill over
looking the town where such famous Wild West characters as Calamity Jane and
Wild Bill Hickock are buried.
A few miles up the hill from Deadwood lies its sister town,
Lead. Whereas Deadwood has become a real tourist town, Lead is a more typical
mining town, site of the Homestake Mine which produced more gold than any other
mine in the country by the time it closed in 1989. Lead’s Main Street is less
lively than Deadwood’s but has similar architecture, a mining museum, memorial
to all the miner’s who died in accidents over the years, and an overlook to the
open pit mine. In my opinion, it’s like a mini version of Montana’s Butte.
2025-05-22