Destination Deadwood Tourist Season 2015

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DEADWOOD ®

TOURIST SEASON • 2015

Destination Deadwood® Staff: Letti Lister - Publisher Dru Thomas - Ad Director/Project Manager Mark Watson - Editor Graphic Design Staff: Vicki Strickland Melissa Barnett Jennifer Boese Jess Boyd Tamra Allen

Advertising Sales Staff: Sharon Mason Sona O’Connell Chrissy Blair Kari King Jami Albrecht

Cover photo by Carly Meyer taken at the Saloon #10 in Deadwood

Inside...

In Search of Gold: Historic Trails ...................................... 3-6 Experience History: Area Museums................................. 9-11 New Gaming Thrills ............................................................ 13

Destination Deadwood is published

by Seaton Publishing, Inc. 315 Seaton Circle

Schedule of Events ..........................................................14-15 Local Cemeteries .............................................................16-17

©2015 Destination Deadwood All rights reserved

~ Since 1876 ~

The Mighty ‘Mick’: Mickelson Trail ................................... 18 Broken Boot Gold Mine....................................................... 19 Attractions In and Around Deadwood ..........................20-22

arted ® magazine st d o o aming w d a De legalized g d f o t se estination n o with the wned an publication . This magazine is o ting business 9 8 er 19 y opera in Novemb the oldest continousl lack Hills Pioneer by ry – the B produced ota Territo k a D rn e st in We

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Legendary Characters of Deadwood.............................28-30 Gaming Directory ................................................................ 25 Dining Directory .................................................................. 26 Lodging Directory ................................................................ 27

Photos courtesy SD Tourism

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Destination Deadwood©

Spring/Summer 2015

Trail ruts run deep Unlike South Dakota’s neighboring states, most of the gold rush trail system in the Black Hills has gone unmarked in a formal fashion, but the wagon ruts that oxen and horses toiled to tear through hundreds of years ago still remain.

“Trail ruts run deep,” Wendt said.

Because much of the existing information regarding the trails is not formalized, Wendt has committed to setting the record right, both on land and paper.

The roads have long since been abandoned, with nature running its course and hiding what little remains.

Parts of the trails are located on land owned by area ranchers and are not publicly accessible.

Consequently, little is known about the Deadwood trails traveled during the Black Hills Gold Rush. Museums have only the information given to them by a few dedicated researchers.

Because of these few steadfast, committed people, the beginning to gain the historic recognition they deserve and will one day be a part of the National Historic Trails List.

Wendt, a retired United States Postal Service rural letter carrier who has been Lonis Wendt awarded the Governor’s Award for history, lives in Viborg and, spending countless hours researching the trails to Deadwood, has traveled many of the trails himself, continues his research of Deadwood.

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Destination Deadwood©

From page 3

Fort Pierre to Deadwood Trail Considered the most popular wagon trail to the Black Hills, 85 percent of all

Bismarck to Deadwood Stage Trail This route to the Black Hills from North Dakota was 242 miles and had 17 station stops. It followed the Missouri River valley and then went southwesterly to the Little Heart River. The trail then continued on through rolling prairies and places such as Dogs Teeth Butte, Cedar Canyon and Sulfur Creek.

Bismarck-Deadwood trail then crossed the Belle Fourche River and Bear Butte.

From there it went through Ft. Meade,

through Ft. Pierre.

The easiest way for eastern gold seekers and settlers to get to Deadwood and other Black Hills towns was to take a steamboat up the Missouri River and then travel by wagon on the Ft. Pierre trail.

This route to Deadwood was 200 miles of open terrain that crossed through American Indian land. Advertisements for the trail would boast that the stagein Deadwood. coaches could make the journey in 36 The route was considered fairly safe hours, but in reality it was closer to 50. with only a few attempted robberies and Taking the Ft. Pierre to Deadwood trail was heavily travelled. A Denver newspaalso entails crossing the Cheyenne River, per proclaimed in 1878 “The Bismarck an ominous task. route from the Northern “The white roaring curThe easiest way rent made animals dizzy,” best patronized road for eastern gold Wendt said. “There were running into the Black seekers and settlers to get to many wrecks on the CheyHills.” Bismarck, Dakota Deadwood and enne.”

Territory, was connected other Black Hills Winding through such with the eastern United towns was to places like Frenchman and States in 1873 when the take a steamboat Plum Creek, the trail met up the Missouri up with the Sidney-Deadwas built near the town.

River and then wood trail near the Black Because of this, many travel by wagon Hills. From there, the trail prospectors and settlers on the Ft. Pierre went northwest through started their journey south trail.

Sturgis and Crook City, near to the Black Hills via the present-day Whitewood. At Bismarck-Deadwood trail, Crook City the wagons would have to be which was created by the Minnesota State lowered by ropes and chains down a steep Company and the Northwest Express and Transportation Company in 1875. the wagons would make the 2-mile trip southwest into Deadwood. incoming people making their way to the “Sections of the Ft. Pierre trail became Black Hills. However, when the Chicathe Black and Yellow Trail, which became go and Northwestern Railroad reached Highway 14 across South Dakota,” Pierre, much of Bismarck’s freight was diverted there and the Bismarck Stage across South Dakota and most of it was Line never recovered, being abandoned gravel.” in 1881.

The Ft. Pierre stage route saw the beginning of its decline when the Chicago and North Western Railroad ended its Sidney to line in Pierre, across the Missouri River.

Deadwood Trail All of the freight being carried could now be transported by rail versus steamboat.

In 1875 and just over 250 miles in When the railroad reached Deadwood length, the Sidney-Deadwood trail was from Nebraska in 1886, it bypassed Ft. born. Several Nebraska towns vied to Pierre and by 1908, the trail was abanbe the site of a stage line traveling north doned. to the Black Hills during the 1870s, but

Spring/Summer 2015

as the main point of departure for miners and settlers heading north. road, Sidney already had a trail leading north that was used by military troops and freight wagons. Because of this, the trail was heavily protected so the possibility of an attack was slim.

The trail traveled a mostly easy course, aside from the treacherous North Platte solved when, in 1876, Clark’s Bridge was

The Sidney Trail competed with the Line as a gold supplying trail. Like the Cheyenne Stage Line, the Sidney Trail saw its end when railroads to the Black

water supplies throughout the route. Just a year after its inception, the majority of freighters had returned to using the Ft. Pierre wagon trail.

Miles City to Deadwood Trail

Chamberlain/Oacoma to the Black Hills Trail The Chamberlain/Oacoma wagon road lasted only two years and stretched

passage across.

City was the closest settlement to Deadwood. Originally a mail and supply route ran telegraph lines to other forts in the

Clark Bridge being built over the Platte Wendt said.

The Sidney Trail had several paths one could follow. One would wind through Badlands. Another one would go through French Creek. Yet another would take travelers to Ten Buttes and Beaver Creek.

There were even more trails settlers could no matter what trail was taken, the Sidney-Deadwood trail would wind up near

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mined that the town was unsuitable for a possible bridge to be constructed across

the two forts.

and Oacoma were chosen as the starting point of the wagon trail, and a railroad bridge was built across the river as well.

The wagon trail itself was a heavily en-

was nearing its end and because of this, many miners and settlers were looking

easier crossings and plenty of wood and grass that it would be a huge success.

cacti, rattlesnakes, desolate plains, gulches

it big. The route that was established by Ft. Keogh was eventually sought as the main stage line to Deadwood. The trail

Continued on page 6

roads in the Badlands, looters, and poor

Shown here is a Miles City to Deadwood Trail crossing marker just northwest of Spearfish. Lookout Mountain is the prominant high point on the left side of the picture and Spearfish Mountain can be seen directly above the marker. What is reported to be wagon ruts, are visible directly behind the marker.

Pioneer photo by Letti Lister

Spring/Summer 2015

Destination DeadwoodŠ

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1,000 people per day came in and out of Deadwood and from 1876 to 1890, stagecoaches and freight wagons made the journey possible. These wagons are part of the Days of 76 celebration held every July in Deadwood. Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

From page 5

an until 1886, when the Black Hills Gold rush was coming to an end and fewer people were travelling to the Black Hills.

Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage and Express Lane The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express Line was created in 1876

by F.D. Yates and Co. Cheyenne, being way, was an obvious choice for a stage line into Deadwood and the Black Hills.

However, after the historic defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Calvary at Little Big Horn in 1876, attempts to complete the journey to Deadwood from Cheyenne, Wyo., failed because of the danger of attacks by tribal forces.

American Indians weren’t the only people that awaited travelers of the nearly 300-mile-long Cheyenne wagon especially since many of the travelers of the Cheyenne stage were carrying heaps of gold.

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Destination Deadwood©

The “Monitor” as it was called, was an ironclad coach used for the transporting of gold from the Black Hills to Cheyenne. It was lined with iron plates and had a treasure box bolted to the ensure the coach was safe. “Calamity guards of the “Monitor.”

“The Bordeaux Stage Station along this route was a real popular station,” Wendt said. “They had great grass, good water and friendly people running it. The Fort Laramie military bridge over the North Platte river, which was built in 1875 was vital to the success of this line.”

The Cheyenne Wagon Trail wound through steep mountains and long canyons. From Ft. Laramie, Wyo., and onward, one could expect the journey to the Black Hills to get rough. Trav-

Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Wyoming in 1886, eliminating the need to travel by wagon to the areas.

“After the railroad came, people were still scattered about and needed a way to get to the railroad stations,” Wendt said. “The idea that the stagecoaches stopped the day the railroad came can’t be. People were still scattered.”

And Wendt believes the stagecoach/ freight line business was rather lucrative, citing an order placed for the JW Dear “Supplies for 10,000 Indians were freighted from Cheyenne and Sidney,” Wendt said. “Do you think stagecoach owners might have been one of the most wealthy around? There were 1,000 people a day coming and going from Deadwood. They were so far ahead of the contracts, that by the time the gold be in business.”

As popular as the Cheyenne route was, it was in operation for just 11 years. The

The Black Hills Knowledge Network contributed to this story.

Spring/Summer 2015

Spring/Summer 2015

Destination DeadwoodŠ

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Destination DeadwoodŠ

Spring/Summer 2015

Experience History

Local museums provide a priceless trip back in time

By Jaci Conrad Pearson Black Hills Pioneer

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aying homage to days long past, museums keep our history alive and on display for all to see.

In Deadwood and Lead, six museums are open for visitors.

Adams Museum

Founded by pioneering Deadwood businessman W.E. Adams in 1930, the Adams Museum was established to accommodate the Black Hills history he had a penchant for and over the years has collected some of its

at the turn of the century, the Queen Anne-style Historic Adams house is the former residence of two of Deadwood’s founding families, including the Adams Museum’s founder, W.E. Adams.

With its oak interiors, hand-painted canvas wall coverings, stained glass windows, modern 19th century plumbing, electricity and telephone service and original furnishings, the home sat silent for nearly 60

Days of ’76 Museum

Formed and founded to honor an event tion began as a way to honor Deadwood’s

pieces, including Potato Creek Johnny’s 7.346 troy ounce gold nugget, beloved American illustrator N.C. Wyeth’s pencil sketch drawing of Western legend Wild Bill Hickok, the mysterious Thoen Stone record of the Ezra Kind party’s discovery of gold in the Hills in the 1830s and a plesiosaur fossil. In addition to exhibits on all three levels, a western history bookstore is and a meeting room are located on the lower level.

The Adams Museum is located at 54 Sherman Street in Deadwood, (605) 5781714. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily May through September and Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p .m. October through April.

Historic Adams House

Built in 1892 and a example of the Victorian architecture so abundant in Deadwood during its founding days and

Adams House is like a fabulous trip back in time.

The property was purchased by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission in 1992 and in 1998, the Adams Museum entered into a partnership with the city of Deadwood to restore the home as a house museum. The restored house reopened to the public July 1, 2000.

The Historic Adams House property, located at 22 Van Buren St. in Deadwood, (605) 578-3724, includes the Mary Adams Orientation Center and gift shop.

Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tuesday through Sunday in April, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily May through September, with the last tour of the day at 5 p.m.

Hills in 1876 to settle Dakota Territory’s

Photos by Ja

ci Conrad Pe

arson

years after Adams’ death in 1934, when his second wife Mary closed the doors and left everything intact. From the sheet music left in the piano bench, the books in the library, the china in the pantry, to the patent medicines in the bathroom, the gilded settee in the parlor and even the cookies in a cookie jar, a trip through the

The Days of ’76 has grown into a legendary annual event with a historic parade and an award-winning PRCA rodeo, while the Days of ’76 museum began informally, as a repository for the horse drawn wagons and stage coaches, carriages, clothing, memorabilia and archives used by and associated with the celebration over the years.

Formerly housed in a pole barn, outgrown over the years with the addition of the extensive Old West Pioneer and American Indian artifacts, archives and collection and were installed in 1990, Continued on page 10

Spring/Summer 2015

Destination Deadwood©

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From page 9

combined with the largest collection of horse-drawn vehicles in the state, the new $5.25 million, 32,000 square foot Days of ’76 Museum celebrated its grand opening in May of 2013 and now aptly accommodates all.

The Days of ’76 is located at Photo by Ja ci Conrad Pe 18 Seventy Six Drive in Deadarson wood, (605) 578-1657. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, May through September; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday October (HARCC) houses, preserves and provides through April. public access to one of the nation’s largest collection of Black Hills archival materiHomestake Adams als, dating from the 1870s to the present.

The extensive collection includes historic Research and Cultural photographs, maps, legal correspondence Center and documents, city directories, personal Whether you want to conduct research, diaries and journals, gold exploration browse through tens of thousands of hisand production reports, business ledgers toric photographs, view rare and unique and records and many other interesthistoric documents, attend a lecture or ing historic materials that help provide take part in a workshop, the Homestake visitors with a better understanding and Adams Research and Cultural Center is appreciation of the people, places and the place for you. events that shaped the unique history of Opened in 2011, the Homestake the Black Hills.

Adams Research and Cultural Center

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Destination Deadwood©

The HARCC is also a cultural center that hosts a variety of diverse educational events and entertainment for people of all ages. Everything from historic reenactexhibitions, workshops and classes are offered to the public. Check the Deadwood History, Inc. web site for a current listing of opportunities.

The Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center is located at 150 Sherman St. in Deadwood, (605) 722-4800.

Hours of operation are: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Spring/Summer 2015

Black Hills Mining Museum

Dedicated to the preservation of the rich mining heritage of Lead and the Black Hills, the Black Hills Mining Museum is located in Lead, featuring numerous exhibits and activities. For more than a century, gold mining has been the No. 1 industry in Lead and in the Northern Black Hills. In fact, the Homestake Mine, which ceased operation in 2001, was one of the largest in the world, reaching a depth of 8,000 feet below the surface.

Today that mining heritage is depicted at the Black Hills Mining Museum as an educational and fun attraction. Featuring 45-50-minute guided mine tours, the museum’s experienced and knowledgeable guides escort visitors on a fascinating and informative 45-50 minute tour of our simulated underground level of the Homestake Gold Mine - the only comprehensive look at both early-day and modern underground mining to be found in the Black Hills.

Or, go for the gold at the Black Hills Mining Museum’s indoor gold panning

Spring/Summer 2015

ing gold experienced by prospectors the world over more than 100 years ago in the museum’s modern-day, hands-on gold panning display. of panning and visitors can take home their own sample of real placer gold.

Tours are approximately 45 minutes long and start on the hour, beginning at 9 a.m., with the last tour starting at 4 p.m. Reservations are not necessary, however guests may call in Summer hours, from May to September, featuring guided tours, gold panning and museum visit, are daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Black Hills Mining Museum, (605) 584-1605, is located at 323 West Main St. in Lead.

Sanford Lab and Lead Visitor Center

Currently under construction, the Sanford Lab and Lead Visitor Center will feature the history and future of

Lead, from its roots in mining to its world class, state of the art underground laboratory.

Scientists are attempting to detect dark matter, a matter they believe comprises about 85 percent of the universe.

Very little is known about dark matter and it may hold an untold number of secrets. Scientists have an experiment in operation 4,850 feet below the city out radiation.

The Sanford Lab and Lead Visitor Center is expected to be open this summer.

Destination Deadwood©

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Best Selection in the Black Hills!

643 Main Street, Deadwood

605.717.7465

Styles ranging from western to motorcycle wear to casual contemporary!

KOA-Deadwood

1 mile west of Deadwood • GPS: 44.370926, -103.754267 P.O. Box 451, Deadwood, SD 57732 • Open mid-April to mid-Oct. • Cabins, lodges, RV sites, tent sites • Free shuttle to downtown Deadwood

• Free cable TV, Wi-Fi, store, laundry • Pool, hot tub • Pet friendly

1-800-562-0846

www.DeadwoodKOA.com deadwoodkoa@rushmore.com

• 11 Casinos featuring all your Favorite Slots & Live Table Games • Deluxe Hotel Accommodations • FREE Wi-Fi Internet • FREE On-Site Parking in our covered parking ramp • FREE Beer, Wine & Cocktails for players • Group Packages

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Destination Deadwood©

3 Buffets Daily!

Breakfast

With made to order omelets

Lunch

Daily Specials

Dinner

featuring USDA Choice Prime Rib served nightly

Prime Rib & Crab Buffet on Friday & Saturday

Deli Open Nightly

Spring/Summer 2015

New Gaming Thrills

Deadwood to welcome craps, roulette, keno July 1

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raps, keno and roulette are headed back to Deadwood – this time legal as South Dakota voters passed Amendment Q in November 2014 and the state legislature approved a bill changing state statute allowing the games.

Voters in the November election approved the constitutional amendment 56 percent to 44 percent Following the election, Deadwood Gaming Association Executive Director Mike Rodman thanked the voters of South Dakota for their support of Deadwood, not only today, but for the last 25 years.

“Giving Deadwood the tools it needs to compete as a global destination resort community with these games is greatly appreciated,” Rodman said.

This spring, the state legislature approved a bill by a large margin changing initial games permitted in the state 25 years ago.

The three games will likely be played on July 1. Casinos are already making preparations.

While there is no statistically accurate way to project how the addition of the games will boost Deadwood gaming revenues, one can look to other locales for a little bit of educated extrapolation.

“Colorado put craps and roulette in

in 2009,” Rodman said. “Those two games account for 20 percent of their table game revenue. In Deadwood, our table game revenue is around $10 million per year, so if you add $2 million per year, that’s what it would be like looking at Colorado’s numbers, what we might anticipate, based on Colorado numbers.”

The allowance of craps, keno and roulette in Deadwood is hoped by many local gaming passing Deadwood on their

Deadwood this next year,” Turbiville said.

Gaming revenues help fund historic preservation, the state general fund, Lawrence County, its schools and municipalities through gaming revenue taxes.

the games.

“What we were hearing from customers is that as they were going to surrounding states, was that they were being exposed to additional said Rodman. “The constitution currently allows slots and card games. As customers go to Iowa, Wyoming, North Dakota and Colorado, they are learning how to play craps, roulette and keno. We want to be able to provide the types of games our customers are asking for, become more sophisticated and gaming continues to grow across the country, our

Narrated Western History Tour On Horseback Families welcome!

Reservations required.

Northern Black Hills near Deadwood 605-722-4241 www.blacktailhorsebackandwalkingtours.com

Spring/Summer 2015

gaming customers are asking for other opportunities and we want to be able to give it to them.”

Rodman said that the ultimate goal is to attract more visitors to Deadwood and ings than Deadwood currently has.

Deadwood Mayor Chuck Turbiville is enthused about is optimistic about the economic gains craps, roulette and keno are likely to bring.

“I am very pleased with the results and am looking forward to the positive

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Experience the form fascinating art ing ow Bl of Hot Glass io ud St n at Mind Blow d! oo w in Dead Demonstrations Classes • Gifts Deli & Coffee bar on site

PUMP HOUSE

AT MIND BLOWN STUDIO 73 Sherman Street, Deadwood | 605-571-1071

Destination Deadwood©

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Spring-Summer 2015 Schedule of Events Corks and Kegs April Forks, Food & Wine Festival 9-11 Deadwood Chamber of Commerce

767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Daniels Band April Charles Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 16 1906 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com Rivers April Johnny Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 17 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Gold Tour April Country Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 24 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732

June 14

free admission. Tours are hourly 10:00 am. to 4:00 pm. All

June 5

Cinco De Mayo Festival

May 10

Mother’s Day Tours

Deadwood Business Club Citywide - Deadwood, SD 57732

Share a tour of the beautifully restored Victorian home, and explore rare Native American artifacts in Deadwood’s newest museum. Free admission to mothers.

Historic Adams House 22 Van Buren Avenue, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-3724 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

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Rick Springfield

May 19

Los Lonely Boys

June 1

Michelson Trail Marathon

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Discover 26.2 miles of absolute Black Hills beauty during the Historic Deadwood. 605-390-6137

Destination Deadwood©

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

gold panning, sluicing, and a Wild West Auction.

Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Bullock: The spirit of the West June 19 Seth Gordy Pratt will portray frontiersman Seth Bullock. The - July 4 performance includes original songs and stories about Bullock

that bring the history of Dakota Territory to life. Performances 11:30 am and 1:30 pm daily. Admission by donation.

Adams Museum 54 Sherman Street, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1714 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

June 3-5

Gold Camp Jubilee (4th of July Celebration)

Fireworks, parade, vendors, games, car show.

Lead Area Chamber of Commerce 160 W. Main St., Lead, SD 57754 605-584-1100 • www.leadmethere.org

June 21

Days of ’76 Museum 18 76th Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-722-1657 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

May 14

Roots & Boots

Bill Days June Wild Celebrate the life and times of Wild Bill Hickok with a week19-20 end full of free concerts, National Dock Dogs Competition,

Historic Adams House 22 Van Buren Avenue, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-3724 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

May 2

and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.

Admission fee for non-members. 7:00 pm Days of ’76 Museum 18 76th Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-722-4800 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Day April Patsy’s This celebration honors Patsy, the beloved terrier of William 25 Emery Adams. Make a donation of dog/cat food and receive

Dinosaur 13 Documentary

Father’s Day Tours

Treat your dad to a free guided tour of the restored 1892 Victorian mansion that features the stories of two of Deadwood’s founding families.

Historic Adams House 22 Van Buren Avenue, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-3724 • www.deadwoodhistory.com Days of ’76 Museum 18 76th Drive, Deadwood, SD 57732 605-722-1657 • www.deadwoodhistory.com

July 6-9, Deadeye Dan’s Wild West Show Musical) 13-16, (Comedy 7:30 pm 20-23, Historic Homestake Opera House W. Main Street, Lead, SD 57754 27-30 309 605-584-2067 • www.leadoperahouse.org July 11

Bellamy Brothers

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Spring/Summer 2015

Annual Days of ‘76 July 93rd PRCA Rodeo action daily and parades on Historic Main 21-25 Street July 24 & 25.

Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Rio July Diamond Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 23-24 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Aug 3

Legends Ride

A 50-mile ride from Deadwood to Sturgis, to raise money for regional charities. Celebrities lead the ride to the legendary Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Aug 3-9

75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

Aug 6

Haulin’ for Heros

The City of Sturgis Rally and Events 1040 2nd St., Ste 201, Sturgis,SD 57785 605-720-0800 • www.sturgismotorcyclerally.com

Wounded Warrior and the innocents they fought to protect.

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Deadwood Nites Aug Kool Four days full of classic cars, classic music and classic fun. It’s a 20-23 50’s and 60’s sock hop - Deadwood style. Enjoy parades, show and shines and FREE concerts on Main Street.

Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Sept 11

Don Williams

Sept 12

Rodney Carrington

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-1188 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Sept Deadwood Jam 18-19 days of outdoor concerts.

Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Oct 2-3

Oktoberfest

Enjoy live German music, the Tour de Oktoberfest, free food, dancing, Wiener Dog Races and Beer Barrel Games.

Deadwood Chamber of Commerce 767 Main St., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-578-1876, 1-800-999-1876 • www.deadwood.com

Spring/Summer 2015

Destination Deadwood©

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Local Cemeteries

Celebrity graves house Deadwood’s infamous heroes

By Jaci Conrad Pearson Black Hills Pioneer

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eading engravings on old tombstones in the Lead-Deadwood area’s highly historical cemeteries, many of which play posthumous host to several local legends, may not be everyone’s idea of the perfect way to spend a day in the Black Hills, but for a true taste of Hills history and architecture of yore, along with peaceful and massive pine tree landscapes, it can be more educational and fun than a trip to any amusement park.

Mount Moriah

Best known for its celebrity graves and situated on a mountainous plateau overlooking Deadwood Gulch is historic place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny, Seth Bullock, Preacher Smith and other West. Established in 1878 by the Lawrence County Commission, Mt. Moriah is the

murderers, madams, and pillars of Deadwood’s early economic development.

It isn’t where James Butler Hickok and Henry Weston Smith were originally two years, gold camp burials took place at Ingleside, now a residential area several hundred yards down the hill, until Mount Moriah was founded in 1878 and the bodies were moved.

In the early years of Deadwood, there were two graveyards: The Ingelside Cemetery, which was part of the way up Catholic Cemetery, now known as St. Ambrose. Many prospectors, miners, settlers, prostitutes and children were buried within the Ingelside Cemetery, alongside Wild Bill Hickok and Preacher Smith.

In the 1880s it was determined that the land where Ingelside Cemetery was located could be better used for housing.

Most of the bodies there were moved up the mountain to Mount Moriah and re-interred. However, since many graves were unmarked or unknown some were not moved. Today it is not uncommon for people working in their garden or remodeling a baseas a left over from the Ingelside Cemetery days.

The burial of James Delong on June 1, 1878 was the

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Destination Deadwood©

in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. The number may be higher due to lost and incomplete burial records. Approximately half of the burials in the cemetery have permanent grave markers.

Today, Mt. Moriah is a “closed” cemetery. All of the plots within the cemetery are held by various individuals and families for future use.

Mount Moriah’s main attraction is Wild Bill’s gravesite. Calamity Jane and Potato Creek Johnny are buried next to him. merely from sunrise to sunset.

The paved roads in the cemetery provide an excellent opportunity to explore the sites and plan on setting aside a minimum of one-half hour to view the celebrity graves.

Additional information on the history of the cemetery is located in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery Visitor Center. In addition to a 15 minute interpretative video, feel free to peruse the interpretive panels focusing on cemetery history, native and introduced plant species, cemetery symbolism and death statistics within Deadwood from 1875 to 1900.

Cemetery Hours of Operation: Memorial Day to Labor Day Open Seven winter with limited maintenance. Visitor Center Hours of Operation: Memorial Day to Labor Day Open Seven Days a

Shown here is a dilapidated gave site at St. Ambrose Cemetery in Deadwood. A major restoration project is in the works to repair damage to the cemetery.

Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

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St. Ambrose Cemetery

Nearly as old as Mount Moriah, Saint Ambrose’s Cemetery is only a few blocks from Main Street, but may be one of Deadwood’s best kept secrets. Established in 1880 on a hillside in the north part of Avenue.

Prior to the start of this $2 million restoration project, St. Ambrose Cemetery was in grave disrepair. With construction crews recently given the go-ahead to start Phase V of the six-phase project, in line with the Deadwood City Commission’s recent approval of $393,000 in funding, more progress on the project is forthcoming over the next few months.

The master plan for the restoration of St. Ambrose Cemetery was drawn up six years ago and in the last three years phases through four have been completed. Phase one involved vegetation management or the removal of trees impacting plots and graves, as well as Firewise work. Phase two involved erecting the new perimeter fence around the 3.9 acre area. Phase three involved repair and installation of retaining walls and a sidewalk. ration of the plots and graves, with phase completed in 2016.

St. Ambrose Cemetery was established in approximately 1881 and is located on number of interments in St. Ambrose Cemetery is unknown, although 600 have been recorded and documented to date.

“Many unmarked graves can be seen,” see depressions where we believe there have been interments. Cemetery records mortuary where they were housed. So complete burial records for the cemetery are non-existent.”

Ownership of the cemetery was deeded over to the city of Deadwood in 2003 from St. Ambrose Catholic Parish.

“This transfer helped ensure its preserbecker said. “The city has committed to preserving the St. Ambrose Cemetery and its important historic resources and maintaining the grounds from this point forward. These cemeteries provide invaluable insight into Deadwood’s development

Spring/Summer 2015

from gold mining into a Victorian Era city.”

St. Ambrose Cemetery is a Victorian Era cemetery was consecrated around 1881 with a rich collection of monuments

numbers of Italians, Finns, Austrians, Croats, Lithuanians, Dalmatians, Montenegrins and Slaws. Funeral processions sometimes stretched for blocks and could, on occasion, be comprised of several hundred marchers.

“One of the most critical character-deLines of mourners were often particularly long for the funerals Ambrose landscape is its of victims of mining acFor a true taste collection of monuments,” cidents, with South Lead of Hills history Cemetery today being the and a significant

Terry Cemetery

There are at least 120 souls who went to their

Cemetery. Now a ghost town, Terry was formerly a formidable gold mining community, reliant upon the mining industry and the nearby Golden Reward Mining Company, which was easily the biggest business in Terry. Although less than a couple of hundred yards away

sampling of the gravestone architecture of yore, along with peaceful and massive pine tree landscapes, it can be more educational and fun than a trip to any amusement park

473), the cemetery is hidden by a steep hill that runs adjacent to the busy road.

Workers on their way home from a day at Wharf Resources -- and skiers on their way to Terry Peak ski resort -- are likely oblivious to the existence of this historic little cemetery. In 1893, Terry was home to 1,000 people and was one of the larger Lawrence County communities.

South Lead Cemetery

Located in a quiet residential area at the top of Mill Street, the South Lead Cemetery is a study of Lead’s melting-pot population. Many of the headstone inscriptions, particularly in the Catholic portion of the graveyard, are in native languages of the Italians, Finns and Slavonians who settled in ethnic neighborhoods of the town. beginning in 1878. A Catholic cemetery, Calvary Cemetery, occupied ground a short distance to the west at the same time, although it was not many years before the two had grown together to such an extent ate them.

Today, South Lead Cemetery is noted for the large number of graves of members of the city’s ethnic groups, with many headstones engraved in the native language of the deceased. Included are large

such individuals.

Numerous veterans of America’s wars are also buried in South Lead Cemetery, including 24 Civil War veterans – 22 Union and two Confederate. Today, South Lead

resting place of more than 3,000 individuals. Monuments still mark the graves of around 2,200 of them, while the remaining 800 or so rest in unmarked graves, often only discernible by depressions left in the ground, rusted mortuary markers or by the concrete borders surrounding the lots.

West Lead Cemetery

The West Lead Cemetery, established in 1879, measures approximately 10 acres, has three main areas and those interred there are required to have a connection with one of the three. One is the Masons section, two is the Oddfellows section and There are records in existence of approximately 1,910 people buried there, including Peter Thompson, an Indian buried in the Masonic block.

Thompson served as a Private in Company C, 7th US Cavalry under Lt. Col.

have likely died with Custer. As it was, Thompson and a companion fell behind, but continued on toward the river.

Thompson later passed away on Dec. 3, 1928.

The cemetery was originally a combination of several small fraternal cemeteries.

Destination Deadwood©

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The Mighty ‘Mick’

George S. Mickelson Trail one of the finest rail trails in the nation

By Jaci Conrad Pearson Black Hills Pioneer

W

hen it comes to the Mickelson, all trails really do lead to Deadwood or out of Deadwood depending on which way you look at it.

Either way you slice it, being in Deadwood means ample access to the Mickelson Trail, one of the most unique ways to enjoy the outdoor splendor of our beautiful Black Hills back yard take in breathtaking spruce and ponderosa pine forests that stretch for miles.

Whether it’s hiking, biking, cross country skiing, horseback riding or just becoming part of the view and enjoying the mighty Mickelson Trail.

The Deadwood Trailhead, located at the edge of the Sherman Street parking lot, is the start of the 109-mile Mickelson Trail, which is perhaps one of the most beautiful biking and hiking rail to trail conversions in the country.

Named in honor of the former South Dakota governor who crusaded for the trail before his death in a plane crash in 1993, the George S. Mickelson Trail runs through the heart of the Black Hills, connecting Deadwood with Edgemont, which is just over 100 miles to the south.

With 15 trailheads, the Mickelson Trail was originally the Burlington Northern rail line that took trains from Edgemont to Deadwood, directly through the Black Hills. That line was abandoned in 1983.

Recognizing the trail’s potential, a group of outdoor enthusiasts called the

Friends of the Mickelson Trail garnered support from then-Governor George S. Mickelson. After many years of hard work and collaboration between the US Forest Service, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, the National Guard, the South Dakota Department of Transportation and the South Dakota Department of Corrections, the mighty “Mick”

parts of the trail are considered strenuous.

Dumont is the highest point and the 19mile stretch from Deadwood to Dumont is the longest incline.

The George S. Mickelson Trail’s northern section cuts a curving course through mountains and ponderosa pine forests, over creeks and through narrow valleys near the towns of Deadwood, Lead, Rochford and Mystic. Every few miles it traverses a converted railroad bridge, some Since the trail was comover high trestles. Just south plete, it has become one of Mystic, a once-thriving of the premier rail-trails mining town, trail users in the West. tunnel that was blasted through rock and lined with

the trail were dedicated in 1991 and the trail was fully completed in September of 1998.

Since the trail was completed, it has become one of the premier rail-trails in the West, rich with boom and bust history of gold mining, and challenging for bicyclists as it cuts through rugged mountain terrain.

Along the 109 miles of Mickelson Trail, one encounters more than 100 converted railroad bridges and four rock tunnels, with the trail surface comprised of primarily crushed limestone and gravel.

Its gentle slopes and easy access allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills. Much of the trail passes through National Forest Land, but there are parts of the trail that pass through privately owned land, where trail use is restricted to the trail only.

Facilities at or near the trail heads include: parking, toilets, picnic tables and some have small shelters. Facilities available along the trail include: benches, vault toilets and shelters. Drinking water is available seasonally. Cell phone coverage is For the most part, the grades

contours that give the tunnel its keyhole appearance.

While it took less than one year to build the railroad line in the early 1890s, it took more than 15 years to develop the George S. Mickelson Trail.

In the summer, one can stroll, bike, hike or even run a marathon or take the trolley the entire length of the trail. In the winter, snowshoeing and snowmobiling are favorite activities. (Snowmobiling allowed only on a portion of the Deadwood to Dumont section. Otherwise, no motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail.)

The trail is rated easy to moderate and is open year-round, from dawn to dusk. Fees for a Mickelson Trail Pass, available at self-service stations along the trail, authorized vendors, some state park an annual pass.

For more information, email: MickelsonTrail@state.sd.us or call

This sign marks the Deadwood Trailhead for the George S. Mickelson Trail. The 109-mile trail runs from Deadwood to Edgemont, SD. Pioneer Photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

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Destination Deadwood©

Spring/Summer 2015

Broken Boot Gold Mine An affordable family attraction

By Jaci Conrad Pearson Black Hills Pioneer

The mine was started in 1878, when

W

hen you’re in Deadwood over the summer, lay down the law, demand your family gets up close and personal

during World War I and used during the

as “The Boot.”

Gotland fraction, upon which the Broken Boot Gold Mine is partially located, named the claim Seim’s Mine. The mine produced about 15,000 ounces of gold for its two young owners over a period of 26 years. Ruth pointed out that luckily for them, Seim and Nelson found other metals in their mine. Namely, iron pyrite, better known as fool’s gold, which actual-

able family attraction, located just outside of Deadwood said Broken Boot Gold Mine Manager Kerry Ruth.

“This is the only underground mine tour in the area,” Ruth said. “This is the only chance you have to go underground in a former working mine. For some people, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. are so low. Visitors like that. I never have someone come up and check on prices and not do it.” gold panning.”

“We always say ‘You’re guaranteed gold.’ You get a treasure at the end,” Ruth said. “We teach them how to gold pan, they pan out the rocks and get a treasure at the end. So, you get a prize at the end and people get really excited about that.

We sell hundreds of gold pans. Because we teach you how to gold pan, you can then go anywhere and use that same process to pan anywhere.”

Ruth likes to manage the expectations of guests prior to their mine tour.

“One thing people are always fascinated about is that it’s not very big. When they learn it was hand drilled, they’re amazed by the amount the miners were able to accomplish without the equipment we have today.”

That said, the mine tour is around 30 minutes long.

“It’s a short, informative tour,” Ruth said. “Because it was all drilled by hand, it’s not a huge mine. Plan to spend around one hour for the tour and to gold pan.”

Named for a broken boot found during the renovation of the mine as a tourist attraction in 1954, admission at Broken Boot numbers in the tens of thousands each season.

Spring/Summer 2015

developed into a tourist attraction.

In 1878, Olaf Seim and James Nelson,

real gold did. Iron pyrite was in demand because it could be used to make sulfuric acid, which was used in the processing of real gold and the miners could get decent money for it.

Seim’s Mine closed in 1904 following the loss of the nearby smelter, which

passed away in 1986, she willed the mine to the Broken Boot Board of Directors, with the stipulation that it continue as a visitor’s attraction. The mine operates under the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce.

Broken Boot features nine knowledgeable tour guides and tours that go out every half-hour. The Broken Boot Gold Mine is open Memorial Day through Labor Day. “The fact that you can go into an old underground mine and we know the history, how it was created and who mined there, that’s unique,” Ruth said. “There are thousands of abandoned mines throughout the Hills, but what’s special about this one is that it was saved, so people can see what it was like around Deadwood in the late 1800s, early 1900s.”

1917 during World War I, as iron and sulfur, two critical components used in gun powder, were in high demand and made mine was in operation was 1918.

It sat vacant until 1954, when a group of businessmen approached Seim’s daughter Seima Hebert, who owned the mine at that time. She leased the mine to the men, allowing them to repair and re-open it as a tourist attraction.

During the repair process, the group came upon a vintage miner’s boot in one of the stopes and that’s how the Broken Boot Gold Mine got its name. When Mrs. Seima Hebert

The Broken Boot Gold Mine in Deadwood offers tourists a look at a former active gold mine and gold panning. Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson Destination Deadwood©

19

Sights & Sounds Attractions in and around Deadwood

Mt. Moriah Cemetery 2 Mt. Moriah Rd., Deadwood (605) 578-2600

The Mt. Moriah Cemetery was established in 1877-1878, because of the ever-increasing demands on the Ingleside Cemetery, which was down the hill.

Mt. Moriah has Photo courtesy South Dakota Tourism numerous sections: Chinese, Jewish, Masonic, Potters Fields and Civil War Veterans section called War Memorial.

Some of the well-known residents are: James Butler Hickok “Wild Bill”, John Perrett “Potato Creek Johnny”, Martha Canary “Calamity Jane”, Henry Weston Smith “Preacher Smith”, Seth Bullock and W.E. Adams.

deserves.

Open year-round

Adams Museum

54 Sherman St., Deadwood (605) 578-1714 www.deadwoodhistory.com The Adams Museum once served as a cabinet of curiosities but has evolved into the premiere history museum in the Photo courtesy Deadwood History Black Hills.

Featuring a collection of artwork and artifacts of the northern Black Hills. The museum was founded by W.E. Adams in 1930. Step into the past and discover a rare plesiosaur,

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Destination Deadwood©

the mysterious Thoen Stone, impressive collections of paintings, guns, photographs, minerals and Native American artifacts.

Winter Hours (through April): Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and winter holidays.

Summer Hours (May-September): Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Days of ‘76 Museum 18 Seventy Six Dr., Deadwood

(Adjacent to the Days of ‘76 Rodeo arena)

(605) 578-1657 www.deadwoodhistory.com The Days of ‘76 Museum began informally, as a repository for the horse drawn wagons and stagecoachPhoto courtesy Deadwood History es, carriages, clothing, memorabilia, and archives generated by the Days of ‘76 Celebration. The newly constructed 32,000-square-foot museum is home to collections of Western and American Indian artifacts, archives, photos and artwork. collections of American Western history. The four important collections are Wagons & Vehicles, Rodeo Collection, Clothing Collection and Clowser Collection.

Winter Hours (through April): Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and winter holidays.

Summer Hours (May-September): Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Historic Adams House 22 Van Buren Ave., Deadwood (605) 578-3724 www.deadwoodhistory.com

The Adams House recounts the real tragedies and triumphs of two of the community’s founding families. Following the death of W.

E Adams in 1934, his second wife closed the house.

For a half-century, time stood still, nothing was moved.

Painstakingly restored and prePhoto courtesy Deadwood History served by leading experts in historic preservation, the Adams House was reopened to the public in 2000, revealing a time capsule in a place where legends still live. Tour rooms and grounds of this elegant Victorian mansion and learn why it was once Deadwood’s social center.

April Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last tour of the day is at 4 p.m.

Closed Mondays Summer Hours (May-September): Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last tour of the day is at 5p.m

Homestake Adams Research & Cultural Center 150 Sherman St., Deadwood (605) 722-4800 www.deadwoodhistory.com

The Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC) houses, preserves, and provides public access to one of the nation’s largest collection of Black Hills archival materials.

Dating from the 1870s to the present, these materials provide the visitor with a better understanding and appreciation of the people, places, and events that shaped the unique history of the Black Hills. The extensive collection includes historic photographs, maps, legal correspondence and documents, city directories, personal diaries and journals, gold exploration and production reports, business ledgers and records, and many other interesting historic materials.

Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment.

Spring/Summer 2015

In Search of Gold

Historic trails lead gold seekers to the Black Hills

By Jaci Conrad Pearson Black Hills Pioneer

T

oday, they’re trails less traveled, but back in the gold rush days, the Fort Pierre, Chamberlain, Sidney, Bismarck, Medora, Miles City and Cheyenne to Deadwood routes were rutted out as the best ways for stagecoaches and freight wagons to arrive at the Black Hills’ ultimate gold rush destination: Deadwood.

“Can you imagine being a greenhorn and trying to pick which one is the right one?” asked Lonis Wendt, a local history expert. “Gold trail routes embraced an area of more than 150,000 square miles.”

All of the aforementioned routes were starting points for tenuous trips by wagon and stage coach into Deadwood during the gold rush days.

The 1880s were a time in the West when all roads led to Deadwood. In the wake of the Custer Expedition’s 1874 Black Hills gold discovery, fortune-seekers from all walks of life came streaming to Deadwood.

From the time gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1874 to the year that Congress revoked its treaties with American Indians and opened the area to white reached the Black Hills in the 1880s, hardy souls seeking adventure, riches and fresh starts risked attacks, robberies and harsh weather during the 36- to 50-hour stage and wagon trips.

Travelers brave enough to test their luck on the wagon trails often were in for surprises, including Indian attacks, water shortages, bogged out roads and robberies.

For those lucky enough to make it to the Black Hills, the rewards often outweighed the struggles. For others, the Wild West “River crossings were a daily hazard,” Wendt said. “There had to be a lot of runaways, besides the risk of dumping your load in the river if your animals got spooked.”

The stagecoaches and freight wagons used to get to the Black Hills had to be sturdy; they were crossing rivers, going

Spring/Summer 2015

through mudded out roads and facing extreme heat. The Concord Stagecoach was passenger vehicle of its time.

Stagecoaches weighed more than one ton, so the animals pulling them had to be tough. Both horses and oxen pulled wagons, but oxen were the prime choice, for they were both sturdy and tough.

Oxen could be expected to travel about 12 to 15 miles each day.

Bullwhackers, as they were called, were the men who drove the oxen wagons. They got their name because they would use whips, also known as bullwhackers or bullwhips, to drive the oxen.

Travelers brought tons of provisions with them over the wagon trails. Such items in-

The Marquis de Mores, who was a noble French entrepreneur, founded Medora, Dakota Territory, in 1883. He is also credited with creating the Medora-Deadwood Stage Line in 1884.

Marquis de Mores built the necessary stations and supplied the coaches for the Medora-Deadwood line. His idea was to carry thousands of passengers from Medora to Deadwood, a 215-mile journey. The trail ran through Davis Creek, For those lucky enough to make it to the Black Hills, the rewards often outweighed the struggles.

For others, the Wild West would be their final resting place.

tools, beer and whiskey.

Some prospectors died on the way to Deadwood not because of attacks, but because they did not pack accordingly.

Some even neglected to bring a gun, a fatal mistake.

There were seven familiar trails to Deadwood, some, used more or longer than others, but each serving to populate the Deadwood area with thousands during the gold rush days.

Medora to Deadwood Stage Line This historic trail connects two Dakota towns rich in history and lore. In the 1880s, the Medora-to-Deadwood Trail took stagecoach, wagon and horseback travelers from the western buttes and Little Missouri River country of what is now North Dakota to Deadwood.

The Medora to Deadwood stage line was only in use for around 14 months.

“It didn’t carry too much freight,” Wendt said. “It was too long and too hard.

A mail contract, which was needed to make the stage successful, did not occur”

The fare to ride on the stage line was $21.50 and took about 36 hours to complete. He charged 10 cents a mile, and the route took the stage to Deadwood, through the Black Hills and to the Badlands.

Relay stations were set up every 10 to 15 miles along the route for team changes and passenger breaks.

Wendt, as part of a historical stagecoach and wagon trip, traced a portion of the Medora to Deadwood Stage Line in 2012.

“One day we went three and one-half miles and we didn’t see any cell phone towers, power lines, anything. Nothing but prairie and sky,” Wendt said. “I saw, this is what the Indians saw, this is what the settlers saw.”

Many historians believe this stage was used mainly as a tourism shuttle between the two Western cities between 1884 and 1886.

Teddy Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States, lived in North Dakota during the days of the Black Hills Gold Rush. He once travelled the Medora Stage Line and stopped at the station called the Ranch Roadhouse about 10 miles north of Belle Fourche.

Continued on page 4

Destination Deadwood©

3

Main Street Shootouts

Broken Boot Gold Mine

(800) 344-8826 www.deadwoodalive.com

1200 Pioneer Way, Deadwood (605) 578-1876 www.brokenbootgoldmine.com

George S. Mickelson Trail

In the spring of 1876, the call of GOLD led

11361 Nevada Gulch Rd., Lead (605) 584-3896 www.mickelsontrail.com

the historic Deadwood ton Northern rail line

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Historic Homestake Opera House

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313 W. Main St., Lead (605)584-2067 homestakeoperahouse.org

Black Hills Mining Museum

Trial of Jack McCall

323 W. Main St., Lead (605)584-1605 www.blackhillsminingmuseum.com

Tickets con be purchased by calling (800) 344-8826 www.deadwoodalive.com

ation Center was

Share the

The Trial own GOLD!

Deadwood Photo courtesy South Dakota Tourism

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More Sights & Sounds on page 22

Spring/Summer 2015

Destination DeadwoodŠ

21

Sights and Sounds...

High Plains Western Heritage Center

The High Plains Western Heritage Center was founded to honor the old west pioneers and Native American of

Historic Matthews Opera House & Arts Center

original “cost of the opera house was no less

Back in Matthews opera House was the center for entertainment in the

It houss the completely restored “original” A 200-seat theatre features many historic

brightly painted advertising on the art curtain Photo by Letti

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Destination Deadwood©

Lister

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Destination DeadwoodŠ

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Destination DeadwoodŠ

Spring/Summer 2015

Best Western Hickok House Restaurant & Casino 137 Charles, Deadwood, 605-578-1611, 800-837-8174 658 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1162 633 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745, 800-336-1876 360 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1500 629 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1909, 888-399-1886 , 51 Sherman, St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224, 888-882-4990 1906 Deadwood Mountain Drive, Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 68 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3476, 800-526-8277 270 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9777, 800-274-1876 688 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2100, 800-456-0533 685 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 700 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670 22 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-3330 27 Deadwood St., Deadwood, 605-717-7530 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, 605-584-4800, 877-393-5634 560 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1207 470 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3207 677 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1555, 800-999-6482 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036, 800-847-2522 634 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2025 657 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3346, 800-952-9398 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 555 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1715, 800-643-4490 10 Pine St., Deadwood, 605-722-9914 9 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-1952

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BB Cody’s Steakhouse 681 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 Best Western Hickok House Restaurant 137 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-1611 Brown Rock Sports Café 360 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1500, 866-332-3966 658 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1300 649 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745, 800-336-1876 Creekside Restaurant 637 Main St., Deadwood 51 Sherman, St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224, 888-882-4990 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, 605-571-2120, 877-393-5634 657 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1533 677 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3550, 800-999-6482 270 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9777, 800-274-1876 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036, 800-847-2522 11 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-722-3287 801 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2393 1906 Deadwood Mountain Drive, Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 Hickok’s Pizza 685 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 677 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3656, 800-999-6482 10619 Roughlock Falls Road, Lead, 605-584-3435, 877-975-6343 Lee Street Station Café 9 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-1952 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 62 Main St., Deadwood , 605-717-3354 688 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2100, 800-456-0533 634 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2025 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, 605-571-2120, 877-393-5634 645 Main St., Deadwood, 605-717-0132 1906 Deadwood Mountain Drive, Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 Oyster Bay Restaurant 628 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2205 73 Sherman St., Deadwood, 605-571-1071 1906 Deadwood Mountain Drive, Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 Super 8 Pizzeria 86 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-3975 555 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1715, 800-643-4490

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Destination Deadwood©

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Best Western Hickok House 137 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-1611 Black Hills Inn & Suites 206 Mountain Shadow Lane South, Deadwood, 605-578-7791 The Branch House at Celebrity Hotel 633 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745 Butch Cassidy & Sundance Kid Luxury Suites 57 Cherman St., Deadwood, 605-343-8126 Cadillac Jacks Hotel & Casino 360 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1500 Cedar Wood Inn 103 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-2725 Celebrity Hotel 629 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1909 Comfort Inn & Suites Deadwood Connections 800-240-3735 Deadwood Dick’s Hotel & Suites 55 Sherman St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224 Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort Deadwood Mountain Grand-A Holiday Inn Resort 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, 605-559-0386 Deadwood Station Bunkhouse & Gaming Hall 68 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3476 Executive Lodging of the Black Hills 11842 US Hwy 14A, Deadwood, 866-370-3555 First Gold Hotel & Gaming 270 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9777 Gold Country Inn 801 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2393 Hampton Inn at Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort 531 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1893 Hickok’s Hotel & Casino 685 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 Historic Bullock Hotel 633 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites 22 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-3330 The Hotel at Gold Dust 25 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-559-1400 Iron Horse Inn Deadwood 27 Deadwood St., Deadwood, 605-717-7530 The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, 605-584-4800 Martin & Mason Hotel 33 Deadwood St., Deadwood, 605-722-3456 Mineral Palace Hotel & Gaming 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036 Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex 700 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670 10619 Roughlock Falls Road, Lead, 605-584-3435, 877-975-6343 Springhill Suites by Marriott 322 Main St., Deadwood, 605-559-1600 Super 8 Deadwood Thunder Cove Inn

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Destination Deadwood©

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Meet the Legends...

Meet the Legends Deadwood Characters

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side from images of the Black Hills gold rush and the Sioux Indian wars, Deadwood is famed in the public’s mind as the place where “Wild Bill” Hickok was murdered while playing poker in Saloon No. 10, holding the “Deadman’s Hand” of aces, eights and the nine of diamonds.

Civil War spy, scout, and sharp-

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Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, Hickok was part of the West’s romantic image — aided no doubt by a Harpers New Monthly Magazine article about him in those terms in 1867.

The reality was more complicated, as a variety of books and Internet resources note.

Wild Bill Hickok

players, bunco artists, and outlaws invading the raw and justformed town of Deadwood in June of 1876.

By all accounts, his intent in coming to Deadwood was to separate prospectors and miners from Wild Bill Hickok: their gold — not at the point of a Born James Butgun, but at the poker tables with ler Hickok in Troy a winning hand and two pistols Grove, Illinois on at hand for any sore losers in the May 27, 1837. bunch.

He married Mrs. Hickok was highly motivated — Agnes Thatcher he was a newlywed with a wife to on March 5, support. His bride, the former Mrs. 1876 in CheyAgnes Thatcher was waiting for enne, Wyoming.

Hickok back in Cheyenne.

Wild Bill was murdered in the

original Saloon guns” of the West, Hickok could No. 10 on Aushoot with a pistol in both hands. gust 2, 1876 by He carried his guns butt-forward in Jack McCall. his belt — an awkward position for others, but it worked well for him.

Historians debate how good he really was as a marksman, but few

when taking aim.

Hickok had a couple of habits that served him well in the rowdy bars of the West. He’d pour his drinks with his left hand, leaving his best gun hand at the ready. When gambling, Hickok wanted to sit with his back to a wall, eliminating the possibility that an enemy could simply walk up to his back and blow his head Ironically, that’s exactly what happened on August 2, 1876, during a card game in the No. 10 Saloon. Hickok walked in and noticed a poker game was in progress, but the only empty seat at 28

Destination Deadwood©

the table faced away from the saloon’s doorway. Hickok failed to persuade others at the table to trade seats with him, then decided to take the open seat.

It proved to be a fatal mistake.

Focused on a game in which he’d already lost several hands, Hickok never saw a loafer named Jack McCall walk up within three feet, pull a .45 out of his coat and pull the trigger. The bullet blew through Hickok’s head and out his cheek, lodging in the wrist of a gambler on the other side of the table.

Hickok spilled his hand — pairs of black aces and eights — known forevermore as “Deadman’s Hand.”

Quickly apprehended, McCall said he’d killed Hickok because an acceptable defense and let him go. The drunken McCall just couldn’t keep his mouth shut about the killing. He bragged one too many times that he’d killed Hickok and was arrested, tried in Yankton and hung on March 1, 1877. “

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otato Creek Johnny” or Johnny Perrett, was one of the Old West’s most respected and peaceable men.

Full grown, the Welshman stood an impish 4 foot, 3 inches. He searched the West for adventure and dabbled in many pursuits before settling down to prospecting.

Potato Creek Johnny staked his claim at Deadwood’s Potato Creek.

That’s where he stayed until his death in 1943.

While alive, Johnny found what is “Potato Creek believed to be the largest gold nugJohnny” get prospected in the Black Hills.

The nugget weighed 7.75 ounces. He sold the nugget to W.E. Adams, — the real nugget is on display at the Adams Museum.

Johnny became a local and national hero, loved for his warm personality and magical way with children. He was a favorite of all those who visited his diggings or met him on the streets of Deadwood. He wore his hair long, and peered through spectacles perched on his short nose.

After dying of old age at the age of 77 after a short illness, his body was buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery, near Wild Bill and Calamity Jane.

When his funeral procession rolled past the Adams Museum, the carillon chimes tolled 77 times.

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Calamity Jane

alamity Jane was born Martha Jane Canary near Princeton, Missouri, in 1852. She was married a number of times — her last husband was Clinton Burke. Noted for dressing, most of the time, in men’s clothing, and for wild behavior. Calamity Jane was also known by the early miners and settlers for a kind and generous nature. She died in Terry, an upper Hills mining camp, on August 1, 1903 and is buried, as was her request, “next to Wild Bill.” No authentic record exists that she had any intimate relationship with Bill.

As many of the historical legends which creep into Ameri-

Canary Burke, known in the West simply as “Calamity Jane”.

She was the lady bullwhacker whose language was so strong that brave men feared it more than her gun — which nearly always hit its mark.

Several villages – Fort Laramie, Wyo.; Burlington, Iowa.; Princeton or St. Louis, Mo. ... even LaSalle, Ill., claim to be her birthplace, but no one knows for sure.

It is generally accepted that Calamity Jane was the daughter of a soldier named Dalton or Canary and that she was born around 1852.

At age 19, Calamity Jane appeared at old Fort Bridger, frequenting the saloons, hurdy gurdy and gambling joints and scorning the ways of women.

Calamity Jane joined the Jenny Expedition into the Black Hills of the western Dakota Territory in the early 1870’s, taking the place of a homesick soldier.

She kept her identity a secret until one day she plunged into a stream for a swim and revealed, much to the surprise of her fellow pilgrims, that she was indeed a woman. nothing else to do with her — but was demoted from the ranks to driving a bull team.

Calamity Jane had been a good soldier, but she was an even better bullwhacker.

Her bull whip lashed out viciously to nick any animal that was “gold-bricking,” and her curses surpassed those of the most hardened and toughest bullwhackers in a rough and tough era of the American frontier.

Calamity Jane came to Deadwood during the spring of 1876.

The Gulch region became her permanent home for the rest of her life, although she ventured elsewhere many times.

She whooped it up with the prospectors and the gamblers on nearly a nightly basis in the saloons and gambling halls of Deadwood. She always got what she wanted, a sack of groceries

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for a sick miner or a ticket home for a wayward saloon girl . . . all at the point of a gun.

Her poker winnings often went to help the down-and-outers who were always found around the camp.

Calamity Jane was said to be in love with Wild Bill Hickok.

Maybe she was, but the romance was apparently one-sided. Wild Bill never strayed and never forgot the lovely Agnes, his bride of only a few weeks whom he had left in Cheyenne before traveling to Deadwood to seek his fortune in the gold rush.

When Wild Bill was killed, Calamity Jane was said to have either captured single-handedly or, at least helped to capture his murderer, Jack McCall.

Old-timers who knew this lady wildcat often said they doubted that she had much to do with the capture of McCall. They believed if she had, and if she were carrying a torch for Wild Bill, that she would not have permitted his assassin to live long enough to stand trial.

When smallpox broke out in the Deadwood gold mine camp, Calamity Jane devoted herself to caring for the sick men. She brought most of the patients through. Many a pock-marked old man of the Black Hills in later year called her “an angel” From Deadwood, when the camp began to settle into respectability, Calamity Jane wandered around the country to places such as Leadville, Alaska, California and Montana, but she always came back to her Deadwood home.

Calamity Jane went East to play in vaudeville. It was said she couldn’t keep sober long enough and her language was too rough for the tenderfoot audiences of Eastern cities.

The cowboys of Belle Fourche, the center of the cattle camps, knew her as a howling drunkard. They reported they’d often see her staggering down the street. But there are just as many reports of her riding wild horses, nursing the sick, and cooking famously delicious meals for the cowboys.

She was married . . . every now and then . . . and kept the daughter about whom little is known.

At the turn of century she came back to Deadwood for the last about her. She was good and kind, she took care of the less fortunate, she was drunk and disorderly, she was a renegade, but none ever said she stole or committed a serious crime.

The end came for Calamity Jane — a tired and unhappy woman, her dark beauty ravaged by hard living — in a boarding house in Terry. A combination of pneumonia and alcoholism Her funeral was the largest ever held in Deadwood. One writer declared at the time that “10,000 persons with not one mourner among them” attended the funeral.

She was buried at Mt. Moriah Cemetery beside Wild Bill, forever close to him in death but never in life.

The legend of Calamity Jane continues to grow today as the summer breeze and winter snows roll over her quiet grave on the tree covered hilltop.

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Meet the Legends...

S

eth Bullock is a notable Westerner, not only here in the Black Hills, but in Montana and Wyoming as well.

Before coming to Deadwood, Bullock was a member of the 1871 and 72 sessions of the Territorial Senate of Montana, during which he introduced a resolution calling upon the U.S. Congress to set aside Yellowstone

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Seth Bullock

The Montana Legislature and Congress approved the measure and Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872.

Bullock entered into partnership with Sol Star in the hardware business in Helena, Mont. and the two ventured to Deadwood in 1876 and opened a highly successful hardware store in the booming gold camp. The hardware store was remodeled and turned into the historic Bullock Hotel, with luxury accomodations for those days.

When a smallpox epidemic threatened the raw town, Bullock was elected treasurer of the Board of Health and Street Commissioners — Deadwood.

The murder of Wild Bill Hickok sparked a loud demand for law and order and Bullock was quickly tapped to serve as quickly tamed the wild streets, bars and gambling halls with minimal fuss or new graves at Mt. Moriah.

More peaceful pursuits followed and Bullock was soon ry. He found time to ranch on the Belle Fourche River and

A lifelong friend of Theodore Roosevelt from the 1890s, visor of the Black Hills Forest Reserve, predecessor to today’s Black Hills National Forest.

Roosevelt invited Bullock and his wife to London to “show American.”

Roosevelt’s death in 1919 shattered Bullock. Despite his own frail condition, Bullock quickly built the Roosevelt Monument on Mt. Roosevelt across the Gulch from Mt. Moriah.

Months later, Bullock died of cancer at the age of 70 and was buried, at his request, on the hill-side above Mt. Moriah.

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Destination Deadwood©

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olorado” Charlie Utter is known locally as a good friend to “Wild Bill” Hickok.

Indeed, Utter saw to it that his good “pard” was properly buried.

A notice was posted around town, alerting citizens that funeral services would be held “at Charlie Utter’s camp on Thursday afternoon, August 3, l876, at three o’clock p.m. All are respectfully invited to attend.” Utter even wrote Hickok’s epitaph for a grave marker.

It seemed like the least he could Charlie Utter do, seeing as how Utter brought Hickock to the Black Hills. Utter organized a wagon train in Georgetown, Colorado, which swung through Cheyenne, Wyo-ming, on the way to the gold strike. That’s where Hickok joined the wagon train.

A Colorado newspaper described Utter as a “courageous little man” wearing fringed leggings and coat, and sporting gold and silver decorated revolvers.

Utter was also fastidious, insisting on a daily bath. In those days, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annual baths were more familiar to the denizens of Deadwood, who’d gather to view Utter’s bathing with bemusement and wonder.

Utter reportedly chastised his friend Hickok for curling up, uninvited, in Utter’s blankets. Fortunately for Utter, Hickok

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Hickok out of the tent and stripped him of the warm blanket — all the while turning the air blue with a stream of curses.

After Hickok’s murder, Utter reportedly turned his entrepreneurial spirit to letter and freight delivery, mining and gambling. The Lead newspaper “Black Hills Times,” on June 24, l879 reported: “Charles Utter, nuisance, keeping a dance house. To Mr. Utter the Court delivered a very severe lecture, condemning all such practices in unmeasured terms. But in consideration that

destroyed much of the town on September 26, l879. He was later rumored to be practicing medicine in Panama.

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A Weekend Away!

MILES TO DEADWOOD

Belle Fourche, SD.................... 28 Cody, WY .............................. 421 Crazy Horse Mountain .......... 57 Custer State Park..................... 65 Denver, CO ........................... 395 Devils Tower, WY ................... 90 Edgemont, SD....................... 112 Harney Peak ............................ 60 Hill City, SD ............................ 45 Hot Springs, SD ...................... 95 Keystone, SD........................... 55 Mt. Coolidge ........................... 76 Mt. Rushmore ......................... 60 Newcastle, WY ........................ 68

Orman Dam ........................... 30 Pierre, SD .............................. 220 Rapid City, SD ........................ 42 Rapid City Reg. Airport ......... 52 Sheridan, WY ....................... 211 Sioux Falls, SD ...................... 395 ........................... 15 .................... 16 Ivan Lake ................................. 62 Wall Drug ................................ 96 West Gate Yellowstone.......... 557 Wind Cave ............................... 83 Terry Peak & Ski Mystic Deer Mountain Ski Resorts ...... 8

! Please note mileage is estimated. !

Getting Around TROLLEY SCHEDULE

Spring & Summer Hours: Memorial Day-Mid September Sunday-Thursday: 7 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.

Friday & Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 a.m.

Trolleys run at regular intervals between all hotels, motels and other key points throughout Deadwood. Cost is $1.00 per ride.

Hours are subject to change. The hourly trolley schedule is posted on the back of the Main Street Trolley stop signs.

Best Western Hickok House

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• Just blocks from Historic Main Street • Hometown Owners & Down Home Friendliness!

For reservations, call

1-800-837-8174

137 Charles, Deadwood, SD | 605-578-1611

For more info, contact: City of Deadwood Trolley Dept.

605-578-2622

2 LOCATIONS:

3951 Vanocker Canyon Road, Sturgis

605-347-WINE

Campground & RV Park

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Full Hook-Up Sites Grassed Tent Sites Cabins Sports Court Showers Laundry City Trolley

235 Cliff St., Hwy 85 S. • Deadwood, SD 57732 • (800) 704-7139

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605-571-1006

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(605) 578-2092 • WhistlerGulch@gmail.com • www.Whistlergulch.com Spring/Summer 2015

Destination Deadwood©

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