Destination Deadwood Winter 2016-17

THE ORIGINAL GUIDE TO DEADWOOD SINCE 1989 | WINTER 2016-2017

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Destination Deadwood® Staff: Letti Lister - Publisher Dru Thomas - Ad Director/Project Manager Mark Watson - Editor Deadweird

Graphic Design Staff: Melissa Barnett Amanda Knapp Grace McMillin Katie Hartnell

Advertising Sales Staff: Sharon Mason Sona O’Connell Chrissy Blair Dawn Hatch

Cover photos by Pioneer Staff and S.D. Tourism Destination Deadwood is published

by Seaton Publishing, Inc. 315 Seaton Circle Spearfish, SD 57783 (605) 642-2761 ©2016 Destination Deadwood All rights reserved

~ Since 1876 ~

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© Photos courtesy SD Tourism 2 Destination Deadwood

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Inside...

Days of ‘76 Museum Exhibit.............................................. 3-4 Deadwood Welcome Center................................................ 6-7 Lead Among Snowiest U.S. Cities....................................... 8-9 Schedule of Events...........................................................10-11 Deadwood SnoCross Showdown......................................... 12 350 Miles of Fun in the Snow.............................................. 13 Skiers Take to the Hills......................................................... 14 Black Hills Trail System Map..........................................16-17 Haunted Deadwood.............................................................. 19 Sights & Sounds................................................................20-22 Gold Nugget Theme Park...............................................23-24 Dining Directory................................................................... 25 Lodging Directory................................................................. 26 Gaming Directory................................................................. 27 Artist Scott Jacobs Sets Up Shop in Deadwood..............30-31

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Deadwood: A Story of Movement and Change Exhibit to open at Days of ‘76 Museum

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

T

he doors are now open to the new climate-controlled carriage exhibit at the Days of ’76 Museum, rolling out a recently renovated display containing no less than 50 animal-powered vehicles, titled “Deadwood: A Story of Movement and Change.”

Museum-goers making their way around the carriage exhibit start the

transportation story with a stagecoach from Deadwood’s gold rush days that welcomes “riders” to climb in and sit a spell and ends with the 1920s and the eventual advent of motorized transportation.

Deadwood History Exhibits Director Darrel Nelson said he has been planning the exhibit since 2014, following a conference of wagon experts.

“From this, came the idea to turn the whole thing into a narrative about Deadwood,” Nelson said. “This is due in large part to the fact that we have no provenance on them (the wagons and carriages) – we don’t know where most of them came from. They’re just here and have been given since 1924 for purposes of being in the parade (Days of ’76) …

That

was discouraging at first … but this is a working collection. That’s the whole point is to use them. To my surprise, those things have become an asset.

People can come here and they can touch things. They can touch everything in here … this is a giant photo op.”

Amazingly, the exhibit is designed to be dismantled during the Days of ’76 so the wagons and carriages can be shuttled out a big side door and used in the parade. When the event is over, the vehicles are washed and returned, with the most recent parade passing the reassembly litmus test.

“Most people are glad they’re used in the parade,” Nelson said. “They feel it’s a nice feature.”

Going a step further, Nelson set out to make the exhibit more interesting, adding a couple of layers of information to each.

Continued on page 4

A new twist on the Deadwood story from the gold rush days to the 1920s, Deadwood: A Story of Movement and Change carriage exhibit is now open at the Days of ‘76 Museum. Here, Deadwood History Exhibits Curator Darrel Nelson explains how he developed the narratives that accompany the wagons and carriages on display.

Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

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From page 3

“My goal is to use the vehicles to tell the story of Deadwood,” Nelson said. “To do that, for most, I’ve included a link through a photograph of the typical use for that particular type of wagon at that time.”

Nelson said that just having a collection of 50 randomly displayed wagons, which is what the exhibit formerly was, was an encyclopedia, not a story.

“I’ve used local stories, local pictures and in some cases, artifacts, specific to us, to tell the story,” Nelson said. “Some of these photographs have never been seen before.”

Due to the fact that the exhibit was largely done in-house, costs were held to a minimum.

“Everything was done in-house,” Nelson said. “Materials were around $20,000, which is peanuts for an exhibit.”

Photographs for the wall murals were shot and printed in-house by Chelsea Bauer, while exhibit features were constructed

by Carl Pengra.

Nelson said that in order to make the exhibit more interesting and lively, he developed a story inside of a story.

“Corporate America was here in Deadwood. It was all about invention, tech-

nology, lifestyle, symbols. All this stuff that was happening across the country, shows up in Deadwood … We don’t think of the Old West in terms of technology, but it was there.

Nelson said. “The frontier was more complicated than all the romantic stereotypes.”

Nelson said “Deadwood: A Story of Movement and Change” is a display of the early transportation system that helped settle the American West in the 1880s and tells the story of how Deadwood matured from a raucous mining camp into a settled city with Victorian fineries that could rival any East Coast city.

“The Deadwood story is very complicated and rich and this exhibit reflects that,” Nelson said. “Museum comes from the word ‘muse,’ or to think. It’s a thinking place.”

And Deadwood History’s newest addition to the Days of ’76 Museum certainly does get the wheels turning. n

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Continued on page 6 Fall/Winter 2016-2017

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$7 Million Deadwood Welcome Center project slated for spring opening

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

A

project to better welcome visitors to historic Deadwood is clipping right along, as visitors will be able to frequent the Wild West city’s brand new $7 million Welcome Center, located in the reconfigured Lower Main Street parking lot, this spring.

With a completion date of late May, the finished project will feature a 10,000 square foot visitor center building, complete with 24-7 availability on restrooms; re-contoured parking lot with car, bus and RV parking; covered trolley and pick-up area; a bridge from Visitor Center across Whitewood Creek to bike path and creek access areas; walking paths and rest areas; improved pedestrian safety along Highway 14A and an overall better aesthetic appeal.

“I think it’s

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a great addition to the gateway of the city,” said Deadwood Public Works Director Ron Green. “It’s a place for people to come, spend a short time discovering what’s available in the city, jump on the trolley, go downtown, go to Mount Moriah, go to Broken Boot Gold Mine and do the things we have to offer.”

The four-acre project was split into two phases, a north and a south phase, and started the first week in January 2016.

The north phase is the parking lot, which was finished up in late July. The south phase is everything outside the building walls, entailing civil, or, site, work and remains in progress.

“Our goal is minimal site work in the spring,” said

Ainsworth-Benning Civil Superintendent Jim Heilman. “The trolley entrance and landscaping will be also be done next spring.”

Heilman said the project has many frills.

“It’s a huge improvement from what this used to be,” Heilman said. “… Now there’s a state of the art new welcome center, drainage improvement across the parking lot and you’ve given back to the community with the nicest bike path in Deadwood and improvements along the boulevard.”

As part of the south phase, the existing Whitewood Creek trail has been widened to 8 feet and concreted, resulting in an 1,100-foot walking and bike path that runs from roughly the Railroad Street parking lot to the Deadwood Event Complex entrance. An approximately 1,000-footlong concrete retaining wall was also built along the project and the disturbed sections were reclaimed this fall. Varying in depth from 13 feet at the bridge abutment to five feet in other places, it holds up the parking lot and also

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Pioneer photos by Jaci Conrad Pearson

contains a wood fence and path running across the top portion adjacent to the parking lot.

“A lot of money went into the parking lot and the wall,” Green said. “It was failing and we redid a couple of spots over the last 10 years. Instead of rebuilding the parking lot, we did this.”

Abundant new lighting to promote safety and security will also be installed in the area.

Work on the visitor center building will continue throughout the winter months.

The visitor center is expected to house the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce offices, a large storage area, a public meeting room, 24-hour restrooms, covered trolley access and the visitor center area.

Features of the visitor center area include a two-sided, 19-foot high gas fireplace and masonry along one wall and glass on the other.

“This is a very unique building,” said Loren Hanson, Ainsworth-Benning

Building Superintendent. “I’ve been doing this 46 years and this is the most unique structure I’ve seen in terms of architectural design and interiors. With the cupola and nine 10 by 10 wood trusses, it fits into the Deadwood scene really well.”

“It mimics a mining shop,” Green added.

The city of Deadwood has contracted with Split Rock Studios of Minnesota to develop the exhibit and display space.

“It will contain visitor information and interpretation, as well as guidance for Deadwood’s historic, cultural and community attractions,” said Deadwood Historic Preservation Officer Kevin Kuchenbecker.

“The main purpose of the interior space is to welcome visitors to Deadwood, orient them as to what there is to see and do and send them out in the community and region to enjoy the historic and cultural attractions that exist in our back yard.”

Kuchenbecker added that while there will be an emphasis on history and recre-

ational opportunities that exist, the visitor center will not take the place of or be another museum.

“It will contain static and interactive displays that provide schedules of events, a trolley schedule and things to do and see, a 24-7-365 public restroom and visitor center with static and interactive displays, as well as seating for the trolley stop,” Kuchenbecker said.

The visitor center will be open normal visitor hours that are expected to coincide with the History and Information Center at Deadwood’s downtown depot.

“Both facilities will be managed and staffed by the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and a possible partner organization,” Kuchenbecker said. “We have opened the door for partnerships with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks and the South Dakota Department of Tourism, but the details of those partnerships have not yet been solidified.” n

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Lead among snowiest cities in the U.S. Recently named second snowiest city in Midwest

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

W

hen it comes to average annual snowfall amounts, the city of Lead is a chart topper.

Certainly no strangers to snow, the residents of Lead, get walloped with wintry weather on pretty much a weekly basis up to nine months out of every year. Come September, anything can happen where Ol’ Man Winter is involved. And once he moves in, it might be mid-May before he decides to pack his bags and leave.

For the past two years, Lead has made the Weather Channel’s snow city short list.

In a Nov. 2, 2015 Weather Channel survey of “The Snowiest Place in Each State,” snowfall totals for the past 30 years – July 1, 1985, through June 30, 2015 – were tallied for every location in NOAA’s official climate database, looking for the top total in each state.

Second only to Herman, Mich., with a 214-inch annual snowfall total, Lead came in number two in the Midwest with a whopping 195.9-inch annual snowfall total. Chalk that winning number up to Herman’s Great Lakes location and the lake-effect snowfall amounts that result.

Chalk Lead’s runner-up position up to the

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© Destination Deadwood©

combined topography of the High Plains and the Black Hills.

Holding South Dakota’s 24-hour record snowfall amount of 52 inches, the state record snow depth of 73 inches and the highest annual snowfall anywhere in the Plains states over the past 30 years, yes, Lead’s middle name might just be “snow.”

Other Midwest cities included in the Weather Channel’s list of snowiest cities for their respective states and for the region, were: Third, Hurley, Wis., 162.2 inches; Fourth, Chardon, Ohio, 109.2 inches; Fifth, Duluth, Minn., 86.5 inches; Sixth, South Bend, Ind., 66.8 inches; Seventh, Fargo, N.D., 51.6 inches; Eighth, Harrisburg, Neb., 46.5 inches; Ninth, Dubuque, Iowa, 42.5 inches; Tenth, Chicago, Ill., 38.5 inches.

As part of this list, Valdez, Alaska, is the snowiest place in Alaska and the snowiest incorporated city in the United States, averaging more than 300 inches of snowfall annually.

In 2013, Lead was named number five on the Weather Channel’s list of the six snowiest cities in America, at that time averaging 200.8 inches of the white stuff annually.

Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Erdman, who compiled the list, said the amount of snow Lead endures has something to do with the beautiful Black Hills

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

the town is nestled in.

Some places, like Lead, are perpet“North winds circulating around ual snow magnets. Here’s why. powerful Plains storm systems are liftThere are three basic ingredients ed by the Hills, wringing out prolific required to get snow to fall: the air snow totals well over 10 inches three needs to be moist, it needs to be to four days a year, on average,” said below freezing from cloud level most Erdman. “What other location in the of the way to the ground, and the U.S. averages over 20 air must rise in order inches of snow ... in six to turn moisture into different months (Nosnowflakes.

Snowiest Cities vember through April)?

The snowiest plac1. Herman, Mich., 214 inches Two spring months, es are the ones that 2. Lead, S.D., 195.9 inches March (35 inches) consistently get cold, 3.

Hurley, Wis., 162.2 inches and April (34 inches), rising air.

4. Chardon, Ohio, 109.2 inches are Lead’s snowiest While being close to 5. Duluth, Minn., 86.5 inches months!” large bodies of water 6. South Bend, Ind., 66.8 inches Erdman said that helps secure moist air, 7. Fargo, N.D., 51.6 inches an “incredible” five8. Harrisburg, Neb., 46.5 inches there are very snowy day snowstorm once places, like Lead, far 9. Dubuque, Iowa, 42.5 inches dumped over 112 from any oceans or 10. Chicago, Ill., 38.5 inches inches in Lead in late large lakes.

February/early March Northerly latitude 1998. and high elevation are “That’s over nine feet or more than key to being cold enough for frequent double the average annual snowfall in snow, and being near a steep change Denver ... in one snowstorm,” Erdin elevation brings more rising air man said. “How many places average motions and therefore more opportualmost an inch of snow ... wait for it nities for snowfall. ... in June? There was once 10 inches As one can well imagine, both loof snow on the ground on June 2.” cals and those who have landed in the

Lead-Deadwood area over the years have two choices. One, to fight a never-ending battle with Mother Nature.

Or two, to embrace the abundant blessings of moisture and white gold she doles out for ski, snowmobile and snowshoe enthusiasts during the fall, spring and winter months and plentiful precipitous resources she harbors for trees and streams in the summer.

As an aside, the first snowfall of winter for Lead usually arrives in October. Some years also see snow as early as September.

The season’s last snowfall typically happens in May. Snow can land as late as June, yet that’s uncommon.

Lead is normally free of snow every year during July and August.

Most days of snowfall in Lead result in at least an inch of fresh snow on the ground. For 21 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals three inches or more.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day normally occur 11 times a year.

Of these, three or four are major blizzards that dump 10 inches or more. Storms that severe can arrive anytime from October to May. n

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Fall-Winter 2016-2017 Schedule of Events Oct. 21 Oct. 28-29

Kenny Rogers

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Nov. 11

Make plans for the Monster Ball on Friday with a live band, dancing, and prizes, and the Costume Contest on Saturday with more than $8,000 in cash and prizes for the best costumes. Both events are free, so come in costume or just come to watch - it is quite the sight!

Bret Michaels

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Hairball

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Nov. Veterans , Appreciation Weekend 11-13 Deadwood Chamber of Commerce Nov. 13 Nov. 16

The Potter Family: Christmas Show with the 40 member Shrine of Democracy Chorus

Dec. 8

LeAnn Rimes

Dec. 9

Gary Puckett

Dec. 10

Black Hills Cowboy Christmas

Jan. 19-21

Deadwood Snowmobile Rally

Deadweird

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

Nov. 6

Dec. 3

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

Little River Band

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

The Mavericks

Historic Homestake Opera House 309 W. Main St., Lead, SD 57754 605-584-2067 • www.leadoperahouse.or

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Matinee Concert and Evening Show with Dance Historic Homestake Opera House 3013 W. Main St., Lead, SD 57754 605-584-2067 • www.leadoperahouse.or

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

ISOC Deadwood Snocross

Jan. Shootout than 150 of the top professional SnoCross 20-21 More racers will descend on the historic town’s Days of

‘76 Rodeo Grounds for a weekend of high-flying, high-speed, high-octane snowmobile racing.

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

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

A Bad Year for Tomatoes

Nov. production 11-13, Historic Homestake Opera House 18-20 3013 W. Main St., Lead, SD 57754

605-584-2067 • www.leadoperahouse.or

Nov. 26

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Williams & Ree

Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, SD 57732 605-559-0386 • www.deadwoodmountaingrand.com

Destination Deadwood©

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Feb. 4-5

, South Dakota s Largest Tailgate Party An annual event held in honor of “Big Game” weekend, whose purpose is to raise funds to benefit the American Cancer Society and other local cancer charities. Food, games, and prizes throughout the day.

Deadwood Business Club Citywide, Deadwood, SD 57732 info@deadwodbusinessclub.org

Gras Weekend Feb. Mardi It’s the best party north of the Bayou! Celebrate 24-25 Mardi Gras in the Wild West, with a weekend full

of free parades, costume contests, parties, and live music.

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

Mar. 17-18

, St. Patrick s Weekend

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the Old West with pub crawls, the Leprechaun Olympics, parades, music, and food.

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

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Fall/Winter 2016-2017

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Sleds set to fly high at Deadwood SnoCross Showdown

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

I

f fast-paced, high-flying professional snowmobile action is your thing, then be sure to set aside Jan. 20-21, 2017 for the Deadwood SnoCross Showdown at the Deadwood Event Complex.

Part of the AMSOIL International Series of Champions (ISOC) tour, the event features two full days of exciting racing action.

“It’s the most popular professional snowmobile racing series in the U.S., with the most well-known pros and the highest payouts,” said Amanda Kille, with the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce. “These are the all the top guys, the same guys that go to the X Games.

It’s also televised at a later date.”

That said, the word is out, interest is high, and spectators have apparently caught Deadwood SnoCross fever, as the event sold out in 2016.

Racing great and two-time Deadwood champ Tucker Hibbert is once again expected to appear at the Deadwood SnoCross.

“His win was so dramatic last year,” Kille said. “In fact, two-time defending champ Tucker Hibbert came from behind both times to win. Something that is different about the track in Deadwood is that is it constructed like what they call a bull ring, so it’s really tight, really close to spectators and really fast compared to others. The races are so exciting, super-heated until the very end.”

Kille said that one thing she believes is appealing for attendees is the fact that the Deadwood SnoCross Shootout is family friendly.

“It definitely appeals to all ages,” she said.

One thing that should be emphasized is the fact that low snow doesn’t mean no-show for the SnoCross contestants.

“I want people to realize that even if there’s not a ton of natural snow, our contract still obligates us to make

several feet of snow in addition to what we have,” Kille said. “A good five to six feet of snow is manufactured for the event, as well as four to six feet stockpiled for a base layer. People don’t realize this and sometimes think we won’t have the races if we have a low-snow year. The racers want a layer of compact, pristine snow at optimum consistency, which is one hundred percent not dependent on natural snow.”

Tickets can be purchased at DeadwoodSnocross.com. Prices for 2017 are as follows: two-day general admission, $30; two-day reserved, $40; Friday general admission, $15; Friday reserved, $25; Saturday general admission, $25; Saturday reserved, $30.

General admission prices for children ages 6-12 is $5; five and under, free. n

The annual Deadwood SnoCross Showdown will take place this season Jan. 20-21, 2017. Pioneer file photo

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Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Ample snow in the Lead area during the winter months means never-ending fun for winter sports enthusiasts.

Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

350 miles of fun in the snow Snowmobilers offered groomed trails, open powder

By Mark Watson

T

he Black Hills snowmobile trail system is one of the best in the country attracting sled heads from throughout the United States.

The 350-mile trail system traditionally opens on Dec. 15 of each year and grooming ends March 31.

The northern parts of the trail system, around Big Hill and Trailshead, see the greatest amount of snow.

While lower elevations of the Black Hills show snow conditions not conducive to snowmobiling, climb into the hills and riders can find both trail conditions and off trail riding in prime condition.

Last year, trail counters noted 69,000 snowmobiles, a nearly 25 percent decrease from the year before due to a lack of snow.

The trails do see slight reroutes in parts each year to accommodate

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

various activities such as commercial logging operations.

Shannon Percy, the district park manager for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, encouraged riders to pick up a new map of the trails and open areas each year.

New maps will be released on Dec. 1 and an interactive map of Dec, 15, and may be picked up at the Game Fish and Parks Recreation office in Lead, at any Forest Service Office or other visitor information offices in various towns throughout the Black Hills. Last year’s map is available online at gfp.sd.gov/to-do/snowmobile/ map.aspx.

In South Dakota, all snowmobiles must be properly licensed to operate on public or private lands, except those private lands owned by the snowmobile’s operator. A resident snowmobile license costs $10 for one year and can be purchased at the

county treasurer’s office. Non-resident snowmobiles validly licensed in another state can be legally operated in South Dakota. Unlicensed snowmobiles (both resident and non-resident) may purchase a special five-day permit that is available at many trailside vendors. The temporary permit costs $40.

According to state law, snowmobilers who operate in road rights-of-way and/or public snowmobile trails must show proof of financial responsibility (liability insurance).

After March 31, the trails are no longer groomed yet remain ridable; however, some trails that cross private lands are closed when contracts between the state and private landowners also terminate.

For more information on South Dakota’s snowmobile trails, visit gfp. sd.gov/snowmobiling. n

Destination Deadwood©

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Skiers take to the hills Pioneer staff reports

J

ust outside of Lead, two ski hills await downhill skiers and snowboarders.

The Terry Peak Ski Resort, with a summit at 7,100 feet, offers the highest lift service between the Rocky Mountains and the Alps.

Reaching this elevation means the

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mountain can get up to three times as much snow as anywhere else in the region.

Terry Peak’s vertical descent of 1,100 feet with 29 trails provides plenty of non-stop action and unlimited adventure.

In the event of a lean winter, Terry Peak has hightech snowmaking equipment that can blanket 60 percent of the mountain with manmade snow — ensuring the conditions are great all season long. The ski season traditionally begins the first weekend in December, temperatures permitting, and generally ends the final week of March or the first week of April.

A dramatic Terry Peak lodge remodel should be

finished by November, in time for the 2016-2017 season.

Nearby, Deer Mountain receives more than over 200 inches of annual snowfall.

With a summit elevation of 6,850 feet, it offers an 850 vertical descent and a 1,000-foot tube tow for its Zero Gravity Tube Park and has groomed trails, powder runs, glade runs and, wideopen slopes for skiers and snowboarders.

For skiers choosing to go a little slower, the Black Hills offers miles of cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Popular groomed trails include the Mickelson, also shared by snowmobilers, as well as Big Hill and Eagle Cliff. n

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,

This place is haunted, for sure

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

D

eadwood has been the destination of ghost hunters for years, seeking to track down spirits that are said to haunt the historic town’s buildings. Late last year, local ghost hunters trained their equipment on the Adams House.

“Our first goal as investigators is to determine it is not haunted. We do everything we can to debunk what we encounter,” said Scott Rembolt, case manager for Black Hills Paranormal Investigations.

“We don’t want a place to be haunted. But the Adams House? This place is haunted for sure.”

Going strictly by a summation offered early on by Rembolt, who has spent ample time performing multiple investigations of the Adams House.

“I’ve been in here a dozen times and every tour is different,” Rembolt said. “But we could go upstairs and it could be Amityville Horror. What I can promise you is this. We do investigations all over Rapid City and the Black Hills and this is one of the more powerful places. This house has a lot of activity. It is in the top five, easily, paranormal-wise … at the same time, it is not the kind of place I get home and feel like I have to worry about having an attachment.”

Rembolt began by arming members of a tour group with paranormal investigating equipment. From there, a mel meter, which measures temperature and electromagnetic fields, a K2 which measures magnetic fields and an SB, or spirit box, used as a channeling device for communication with disembodied entities, picked up voices and detected possible spirits in several different downstairs rooms via temperature and energy changes.

“This spirit box is my favorite tool,” Rembolt said. “If you’re down here, knock or let us know. Mr. Adams, thank you for letting us in your house. Is this your rocking chair?” Nothing.

“Is there anything you would like to say?”

“Cole,” the spirit box said. “Keep comin’. No.” Cole is the name of a 12-year-old

participant in the group.

“I heard a few definite responses, there,” Rembolt said. “’Cole’ was one. A lot of times you find this with spirits, that they only react with children. They might be curious about you, Cole. Are you all right?”

“Yes,” Cole said.

“Nothing is bad in this house,” Rembolt said. “People might get touched. If that happens, don’t freak out. I’ve never run into demons here.”

“Did you just get sweeped?” asked Rembolt calmly after one participant said she felt something brush against the bottom of her legs in the Adams kitchen.

As the group moved from the kitchen to the dining room to the parlor to the sitting room on the main floor, questions were asked and sometimes answered through the spirit box. When the participant brandishing the mel meter would move around the room, it would go off, indicating temperature changes and many times, sudden drafts and unexplained cold spots would appear in the room.

“It’s really cold in here,” said one participant. Rembolt relayed experiences from an investigation of the Adams House, including him seeing a female shadow in a dress run upstairs, crouch on a landing and run up the stairs.

“We had a grid set up and she ran right through the grid,” Rembolt said. “We also heard a little girl singing upstairs and footsteps walking away from

,

us when we were in the kitchen.”

While nothing too spooky, save curtains moving mysteriously, happened in the Adams girls’ bedroom, a move to Mary Adams’ room proved spooky for Rembolt, who suddenly interrupted Adams Marketing Director Rose Speirs as she gave history on the room.

“There’s somebody back in this area,” Rembolt said. “I’ve got goosebumps like you wouldn’t believe. Something just grabbed my spirit box. I’ve never had that feeling in a house, ever. I will say this, out of all the times I’ve been in this house, I never got goosebumps. I’m not cold … not mean, not anything bad, not anything like that. It’s like someone was there and wanted to do something.”

Finishing up the tour in Mr. Adams’ room, spirits clarified that Mr. Adams died in the left bed, when it was always thought he died in the right twin bed.

“Hey,” said the spirit box.

“Are you Mr. Adams?” Rembolt asked.

“Yes,” said the spirit box.

“Do we have permission to be in your room? Are you irritated that we are in your room?” Dead silence.

Rumored to be haunted for decades and filled with the remnants of tragic endings for several of its inhabitants, including W.E. Adams, who died in his bed in the home, Adams’ second wife, Mary followed suit when it came to the rumor mill, refusing to stay in the Adams House after she had left the area, instead staying in the Franklin Hotel when she came to town. n

Case Manager for Black Hills Paranormal Investigations Scott Rembolt uses his spirit box in an attempt to communicate with any spirits residing in the Adams House in the sitting room on the main floor. Pioneer file photo Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Destination Deadwood©

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

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

Please remember that Mt. Moriah is first and foremost a cemetery, it should be afforded the respect any final resting place of the dead deserves.

Memorial Day to Mid-October Hours: Open Daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Winter Hours: Open with limited maintenance

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 reflecting the natural history and pioneer past of the northern Black Hills., the museum was founded by W.E. Adams in 1930. Step

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Destination Deadwood©

into the past and discover a rare plesiosaur, 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 stagecoaches, carriages, clothPhoto courtesy Deadwood History ing, 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. It houses one of the nation’s most significant 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 Photo courtesy Deadwood History and preserved 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.

October and 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 5 p.m.

Winter Hours: Closed Nov.-March. Open for specialty tours and group tours.

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.

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Broken Boot Gold Mine

1200 Pioneer Way, Deadwood (605) 578-1876 www.brokenbootgoldmine.com In the spring of 1876, the call of GOLD led a flood of miners, merchants, muleskinners and madams to sweep into Deadwood Gulch.

The intriguing story of one of America’s last great gold rushes comes to life at Deadwood’s Broken Boot Gold Mine, established in 1878.

The mine sat vacant for thirty-six years.

In 1954, a group of Deadwood businessmen re-opened it as a tourist attraction.

Step into the Black Hills best underground mine tour and return to a time when the powerful punch of a miner’s pick and the roaring boom of another dynamite blast signaled the ongoing search for the richest veins of gold on Earth.

Hours: Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Trial of Jack McCall

Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 344-8826 www.deadwoodalive.com The Trial of Jack McCall has been performed in Deadwood since the mid1920s, making it Photo courtesy South Dakota Tourism one of nation’s longest running plays. The play is based on the actual trial which took place in the mining camp of Deadwood after Jack McCall murdered James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok.

This is a family-friendly show where the selected members of the audience participate in the performance serving as jurors in the trial.

May 23-September 7 – Mondays-Saturdays 7:30 p.m. – Shooting of Wilf Bill and the Capture of Jack McCAll, Main Street in front of Old Style Saloon #10

7:45 p.m. – Dover Brothers at the Historic Masonic Temple Theatre 8:00 p.m. – Trial held at Historic Masonic Temple Theatre, 715 Main Street.

George S. Mickelson Trail

11361 Nevada Gulch Rd., Lead (605) 584-3896 www.mickelsontrail.com The 109-mile-long Mickelson Trail follows the historic Deadwood to Edgemont Burlington Northern rail line and contains more than 100 converted railroad bridges and 4 rock tunnels. South Dakota’s first rails to trails project is enjoyed by bicyclists, hikers and horseback riders. Its gentle slopes and easy access allow people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the beauty of the Black Hills. There are 15 trailheads, all of which offer parking, self-sale trail pass stations, vault toilets, and tables.

Black Hills Mining Museum

323 W. Main St., Lead (605)584-1605 www.blackhillsminingmuseum.com Share the thrill experienced by the old time prospectrs by panning your own GOLD! Walk through time with “miner” tour guides in timbered passages of a simulated underground gold mine. View historic maiing artifacts and local history exhibits. This museum includes a historic video presentation of mining in the Black Hills, a gift shop with Gold Panning Books and Supplies and much more.

Winter Hours: By reservation only by calling (605) 722-4875 or (605) 584-1326 Summer Hours: May-September 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Deadwood Alive Shows

(800) 344-8826 www.deadwoodalive.com Fall (through November) performances on Fridays and Saturdays, except during Oktoberfest Oct. 2-3 and Deadweird Oct. 30-31.

Schedule is: 1 & 3 p.m. Colorado Charlie's Walking Tour of Deadwood's Historic Main Street; 2 I& 4 p.m.

The Legends of Old Deadwood.

Historic Homestake Opera House

313 W. Main St., Lead (605)584-2067 homestakeoperahouse.org This incredible building was constructed in 1914, and boasted a theater that sat 1,000 people and also housed a swimming pool, billiard hall, library, bowling alley, smoking room, and social hall. It was built by Homestake Mining Company superintendent, Thomas Grier, and Phoebe Apperson Hearst, widow of mining magnate George Hearst, the owner of Homestake Mining Company.

It was the heart of the mining town of Lead for 70 years.

In 1984, the theater was nearly destroyed by fire- and it sat empty for 11 years.

In 1998, work on restoration and structural improvements began.

In 2008, the first community theatre production in 25 years was celebrated by the Gold Camp Players.

All year round this venue features tours, concerts, theatre, educational field trips and presentations, and corporate events while restoration continues throughout the building as funding becomes available.

More Sights & Sounds on page 22

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Destination Deadwood©

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Sights and Sounds...

Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center

160 W. Main St., Lead (605) 584-3110 www.sanfordlabhomestake.com The exhibit hall has exciting information about Sanford Underground Research Facility and the history of Homestake. Exhibits include photographs, videos, science & mine artifacts, and a 3D model of the underground- from the surface down to the 8,000 ft. level! From our deck, view the 1,000-footdeep Open Cut. Tours include a trip through historic Lead and a surface tour of Sanford Lab. In the Yates room, you’ll see hoists that have been in operation since 1939. You’ll learn a little bit about the mining process and the state-of-theart Waste Water Treatment Plant designed by Homestake.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Summer Tours: June-September at 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

High Plains Western Heritage Center

825 Heritage Dr., Spearfish (605) 642-9378 www.westernheritagecenter.com The High Plains Western Heritage Center was founded to honor the old west pioneers and Native American of five states. This museum features western art, artifacts and memorabilia.

It houses the completely restored “original” Spearfish to Deadwood Stagecoach that was bought in 1890 and last ran in 1913.

A 200-seat theatre features many historic programs, entertainment, and special events.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Getting Around TROLLEY SCHEDULE

Memorial Day - Labor Day Sunday-Thursday: 7 a.m. - 1:30 a.m.

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

September Sunday-Thursday: 7 a.m. - Midnight Friday & Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 a.m.

October - May Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. - Midnight Friday & Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 a.m.

Sunday: 7 a.m. - Midnight 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.

For more info, contact:

City of Deadwood Trolley Dept.

605-578-2622

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Destination Deadwood©

Historic Matthews Opera House & Arts Center

612 Main St., Spearfish (605) 642-7973 www.matthewsopera.com Back in 1906, the new Matthews Opera House was the center for entertainment in the Northern Hills, hosting touring companies and vaudevillians.

Time seems to have stood still, for today the ornate woodwork, the murals and the brightly painted advertising on the art curtain are throw-backs to the turn-of-the century.

Built by a wealthy Wyoming cattleman, the original “cost of the opera house was no less than $25,000!”

Currently, The Matthews consists of a fine arts gallery with 48 regional artists and upstairs, the theatre continues to provide community plays, national performance acts and music concerts.

Art Gallery Hours: 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

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 Regional Airport...............................52 Sheridan, WY.................211 Sioux Falls, SD................395 Spearfish, SD....................15 Spearfish Canyon..............16 Ivan Lake..........................62 Wall Drug..........................96 West Gate Yellowstone....557 Wind Cave.........................83 Terry Peak & Ski Mystic Deer Mountain Ski Resorts...........................8

s Please note mileage is estimated. s

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Gold Nugget Theme Park partnership reveals details of proposed $40-80 million project

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

W

ith no other major theme park or large-scale family entertainment center in the region, principals of the proposed $40 million to $80 million Gold Nugget Theme Park revealed their plans.

“At the heart of everything for us is the Black Hills and the people who live here ... We are just as impassioned with the community as you are. We want to be a part of the community and help you grow in a different ways,” David Johnson of Casper, Wyo., told Deadwood commissioners. Johnson, who has family ties to the area, is partnering with industry veteran Dennis Speigel and his International Theme Park Services for guidance for the group. Johnson’s group, also consisting of restaurateurs Todd Fierro, of Belle Fourche, and Pete Fazio, of Casper, Wyo., presented to the audience. They introduced them to the theme park idea that Johnson developed back in 2006; a case

study comparing Branson, Mo., to Deadwood; and a presentation on the overall industry from Speigel, including reasons that Deadwood is a good choice for a project of this magnitude.

It would be located near The Lodge at Deadwood.

“We are getting a re-do of that initial feasibility study, but based on early indications, this project could run (up to) $80 million,” Speigel said. “Once we know the economics of it, we can better forecast that net warranted investment. It’s large, but not outrageous and falls within the parameters of the project.”

Why does Deadwood make sense, as far as a location? Stats cited included that Deadwood is 10 miles from Interstate 90, approximately 45 miles from Mount Rushmore, 40 miles from Rapid City, and has many short-stay attractions in the area, which can be capitalized on to enhance draw. Because existing large attractions bring substantial tourists to the area, these venues are complementary to the Gold Nugget concept.

Along with a strong regional tourism

base, the partners say, visitor spending continues to grow.

The Gold Nugget Theme Park partners feel they would bring a high quality, family oriented attraction, capitalizing on Deadwood’s rich history. The concept is for Gold Nugget Theme Park, “Where History Comes Alive,” to be an immersive experience, following the trend of many of today’s major theme parks, transporting guests back to the late 1800s and the Wild West they come to Deadwood to experience. The goal is to help make Deadwood a tourist destination.

Speigel, who has worked on more than 500 theme park projects in 50 countries, further explained that the idea is to recreate an Old West gold mining town of 1876; the park would not be a traditional hard ride theme park, but instead, a melding of the real “Old West” with the western movies of Hollywood in which visitors will be participants and an Continued on page 24

Shown here is an artist’s rendition of what the proposed Gold Nugget Theme Park could look like. Pioneer photo by Jaci Conrad Pearson

Fall/Winter 2016-2017 Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Destination Deadwood© Destination Deadwood©

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From page 23

integral part of this unique western encounter.

“Similar to Disney and the countries, you really feel like you’re in those countries,” Johnson said. “Similar to Silver Dollar City.”

With the potential to bring hundreds of new jobs, mostly part-time, to the area, the park will consist of three themes: the miners; the cowboys and pioneers; and the Native Americans of the 1870s.

“The big question is, ‘What will it take for Deadwood to be the next Branson?’” Johnson said, explaining that the average amount spent in Branson is $780 per trip, with eight million people visiting annually.

Sharing trends in today’s theme parks, Speigel explained that they are interactive and virtual.

“Billions of dollars are being spent right now that have never been spent before. It’s crazy,” Speigel said.

“Today’s theme parks bring you into the story. You don’t have to spend the

kind of money I’m talking about … if you tell the history, tell the story, they will come. Theme parks are drivers.”

An updated feasibility study and business plan are currently in the works on the project and results should come available in eight weeks or so.

“The entire goal of an immersive environment is not necessarily tied to the highest level of technology,” Speigel said. “That’s what people want today … they want fantasy.

They want you take them somewhere they’ve never been taken before, and you certainly have the ability to do that in the Black Hills.”

Going forward, the partners are looking for equity investors, and Tuesday, shopped two different potential parcels of land, both within Deadwood city limits.

“They are two different sizes,” Johnson said. “One is a fairly large piece of property, in the hundreds of acres. The other is less than 100.”

With source financing currently in process, the overall timeline on the

Gold Nugget Theme Park would have a tentative opening date of 2018 or 2019.

“Having the support of the community is important to us,” Fierro said. “We have had other communities approach us when this started off, but it started with Deadwood, and we want it to remain Deadwood. The support of the surrounding communities is important, as well. If we attract a million more people, imagine how much more Spearfish is going to grow …”

“Having sat through the presentation on Gold Nugget Theme Park, I’m excited to see what the next step is,” said Deadwood Mayor Chuck Turbiville. “I agree with a lot of what was said during the presentation in regard to this area. It does need something for families, and I hear this on a daily basis. I’m excited for the Northern Hills area and the positive effect the park would have, not only for Deadwood and Lead, but also the surrounding communities.” n

+ Guided Tours of Exhibits + Go Golfing into the Open Cut

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Destination Deadwood©

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

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GROUPS

FULL BAR

WINE/BEER ONLY

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LUNCH

Best Western Hickok House Restaurant 137 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-1611 Brown Rock Sports Café Cadillac Jacks, 360 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1500, 866-332-3966 Buffalo Bodega Saloon & Steakhouse 658 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1300 Bully’s Restaurant Bullock Hotel, 649 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745, 800-336-1876 v Cheyenne Crossing 21415 US Hwy. 14A, Lead, 605-584-3510 Creekside Restaurant Deadwood Gulch Resort, 304 Cliff St./Hwy. 85 S., Deadwood, 605-578-1294, 800-695-1876 Deadwood Dick’s Saloon & Eatery 51 Sherman, St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224, 888-882-4990 v Deadwood Grille Lodge at Deadwood, 100 Pine Crest Lane, Deadwood, 605-571-2120, 877-393-5634 Deadwood Station 68 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3476 Deadwood Social Club Old Style Saloon No. 10, 657 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1533 Deadwood Winery 696 main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9975 Diamond Lil’s Bar & Grill Midnight Star, 677 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3550, 800-999-6482 v The Gold Nugget Buffet First Gold, 270 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9777, 800-274-1876 v Gem Steakhouse & Saloon Mineral Palace, 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036, 800-847-2522 Gold Nugget Restaurant 801 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2393 v The Grand Grille Deadwood Mountain Grand, 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 Hickok’s Pizza 685 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 Latchstring Inn Spearfish Canyon Lodge, 10619 Roughlock Falls Rd., Lead, 605-584-3435, 877-975-6343 Lee Street Station Café 9 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-1952 Legends Steakhouse Silverado-Franklin, 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 Main Street Espresso 62 Main St., Deadwood , 605-717-3354 Maverick’s Steakhouse & Cocktails Gold Dust, 688 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2100, 800-456-0533 Mustang Sally’s Sports Bar & Grill 634 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2025 v Oggie’s Sports Bar Lodge at Deadwood, 100 Pine Crest Ln., Deadwood, 605-571-2120, 877-393-5634 v The Ore Cart Coffee & Deli Deadwood Mountain Grand, 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 Oyster Bay Restaurant 628 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2205 v Pour House Pizza 645 Main St., Deadwood, 605-717-0132 v Pump House at Mind Blown Studio 73 Sherman St., Deadwood, 605-571-1071 v Santana’s Sports Bar & Grill Deadwood Mountain Grand, 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 v Silverado Franklin: Grand Buffet 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 Starbucks Tin Lizzie, 555 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1715 Super 8 Pizzeria 196 Cliff St, Deadwood, 605-578-3235 Taco Johns 86 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-3975 Tin Lizzie Restaurant & Grill 555 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1715, 800-643-4490

DINNER

Whether you’re in the mood for something quick or a culinary experience, Deadwood aims to satisfy!

BREAKFAST

Dining

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Best Western Hickok House 137 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-1611 Black Hills Inn & Suites 206 Mountain Shadow Ln. 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 v Cheyenne Crossing 21415 US Hwy. 14A, Lead, 605-584-3510 Comfort Inn & Suites 225 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-7550 Deadwood Connections 800-240-3735 Deadwood Dick’s Hotel & Suites 55 Sherman St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224 Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort 304 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-1294 Deadwood KOA Campground 11484 US Hwy. 14A, Deadwood, 800-562-0846 v 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 v 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 v The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort 100 Pine Crest Ln., Deadwood, 605-584-4800 Martin & Mason Hotel 33 Deadwood St., Deadwood, 605-722-3456 v Mineral Palace Hotel & Gaming Complex 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036 Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex 700 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670 Spearfish Canyon Lodge 10619 Roughlock Falls Rd., Lead, 605-584-3435, 877-975-6343 Springhill Suites by Marriott 322 Main St., Deadwood, 605-559-1600 Super 8 Deadwood 196 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-2535 Thunder Cove Inn 311 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-3045, 800-209-7361 Whistler Gulch Campground 235 Cliff St., Deadwood, 800-704-7139

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INTERNET ACCESS

GUEST LAUNDRY

EXERCISE ROOM

PETS ALLOWED

KITCHENETTE

HANDICAP ACC.

HOT TUB

POOL

Fun, family, business, romantic, adventure - your Deadwood experience starts here!

BREAKFAST

Lodging

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Destination Deadwood©

Tourism

Fall/Winter 2016-2017

24 HOUR

ROULETTE/KENO CRAPS (R/K/C)

$1,000 BET LIMIT

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POKER

Best Western Hickok House Restaurant & Casino 137 Charles St., Deadwood, 605-578-1611, 800-837-8174 Buffalo Bodega Gaming Complex 658 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1162 Bullock Casino 633 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1745, 800-336-1876 Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort 360 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1500 Celebrity Casinos 629 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1909, 888-399-1886 Comfort Inn at Gulches of Fun and Casino 225 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-7550, 800-961-3096 Deadwood Dick’s Saloon & Eatery, 51 Sherman, St., Deadwood, 605-578-3224, 888-882-4990 Deadwood Gulch Gaming Resort 304 Cliff St./Hwy. 85 S., Deadwood, 605-578-1294, 800-695-1876 v Deadwood Mountain Grand Casino 1906 Deadwood Mountain Dr., Deadwood, 605-559-0386, 877-907-4726 Deadwood Station Bunkhouse & Gambling Hall 68 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3476, 800-526-8277 Deadwood Super 8 - Lucky 8 Gaming 196 Cliff St., Deadwood, 605-578-2535 v First Gold Hotel & Gaming 270 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-9777, 800-274-1876 Gold Dust Casino 688 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2100, 800-456-0533 Hickok’s Hotel & Casino 685 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2222 Historic Franklin Hotel Gaming 700 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670 Holiday Inn Express 22 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-3330 Iron Horse Inn Casino 27 Deadwood St., Deadwood, 605-717-7530 v The Lodge at Deadwood Gaming Resort 100 Pine Crest Ln., Deadwood, 605-584-4800, 877-393-5634 Main Street Deadwood Gulch 560 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1207 McKenna’s Gold 470 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3207 Midnight Star 677 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1555, 800-999-6482 v Mineral Palace Hotel & Gaming Complex 601 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2036, 800-847-2522 Mustang Sally’s Casino 634 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-2025 Saloon No. 10 Casino 657 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3346, 800-952-9398 Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex 709 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-3670, 800-584-7005 Tin Lizzie Gaming Resort 555 Main St., Deadwood, 605-578-1715, 800-643-4490 VFW Post 5969 Gambling 10 Pine St., Deadwood, 605-722-9914 Wooden Nickel Casino 9 Lee St., Deadwood, 605-578-1952

BLACKJACK

Try your hand at Deadwood’s card tables and slot machines.

SLOTS

Gaming

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Destination Deadwood©

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Meet the Legends A

Deadwood Characters

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.

Hickok joined a flood of miners, shopkeepers, prostitutes, card players, bunco artists and outlaws invading the raw and just-formed Wild Bill Hickok town of Deadwood in June of 1876.

His intent was to separate prospectors and miners from their gold – not at the point of a gun, but at the poker tables with a winning hand and two pistols at hand for any sore losers in the bunch.

Hickok was a newlywed with a wife to support. His bride, the former Mrs. Agnes Thatcher, was waiting for him back in Cheyenne.

Hickok had a couple of habits that served him well in the rowdy bars of the West. He’d pour his drinks with is left hand, leaving his best gun hand at the ready. When gambling he wanted to sit with his back to a wall. 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 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.

Hickok never saw a loafer named Jack McCall walk up within three feet, pull a .45 out of his coat and pull the trigger.

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 “Wild Bill” had killed his brother, a miners’ court figured that was 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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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 Territorial Senate of Montana, during which he introduced a resolution calling upon the U.S. Congress to set aside Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park. The measure was approved and Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872.

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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 in to the historic Bullock Hotel, with luxury accommodations for those days.

The murder of Wild Bill Hickok sparked a loud demand for law and order and Bullock was quickly tapped to serve as the Seth Bullock town’s first sheriff.

Bullock was soon appointed as the first U.S. Marshal of the Dakota Territory. He ranched on the Belle Fourche River and was the first in the territory to plant alfalfa. His leadership led to building a federal fish hatchery for the Black Hills, in Spearfish.

Bullock founded the town of Belle Fourche A lifelong friend of Theodore Roosevelt from the 1890’s Bullock was appointed by “Teddy” as the first Forest Supervisor of the Black Hills Forest Reserve, predecessor of today’s Black Hills National Forest.

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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alamity Jane was born Martha Jane Canary near Princeton, Missouri, in 1852. She was married a number of times and had a daughter about whom little is known. Noted for dressing, most of the time, in men’s clothing and for wild behavior, she was also known by the early miners and settlers for her kind and generous nature.

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.

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. She always got what she wanted, a sack of groceries for a sick miner or a ticket home for a wayward saloon girl … all at the point of a gun.

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 Fall/Winter 2016-2017

only a few weeks whom he had left in Cheyenne before traveling to Deadwood to seek his fortune in the gold rush.

When smallpox broke out in the Deadwood gold mine camp, she devoted herself to caring for the sick men. Many a pock-marked old man of the Black Hills in later years called her “an angel”.

Every person who knew her told a different story 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.

Calamity Jane The end came for Calamity Jane in a boarding house in Terry, an upper Hills mining camp.

A combination of pneumonia and alcoholism carried her off on August 1, 1903.

Her funeral was the largest ever held in Deadwood. One writer declared that “10,000 persons with not one mourner among them” attended the funeral.

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

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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 Hickok to the Black Hills. Utter organized a wagon train in Georgetown, Colorado, which swung through Cheyenne, Wyoming, 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.

After Hickok’s murder, Utter re-

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portedly turned his entrepreneurial spirit to letter and freight delivery, mining and gambling. The Lead newspaper “Black Hills Times,” on June 24, 1879 reported: “Charlie 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 Mr. Utter had closed the place (Judge Moody) sentenced him to one hour’s confinement and a fifty dollar fine and costs.”

Utter departed Deadwood after a fire swept through and destroyed much of the town on September 26, 1879. He was later rumored to be practicing medicine in Panama.

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

Johnny found what is believed “Potato Creek to be the largest gold nugget Johnny” prospected in the Black Hills.

The nugget weighed 7.75 ounces. He sold the nugget to W.E. Adams, and a replica is on display at Deadwood’s Adams Museum – the real nugget safely tucked away in storage.

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.

After dying 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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Artist Scott Jacobs sets up shop in Deadwood

By Jaci Conrad Pearson

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nown for paintings of motorcycles, cars and wine appearing so real, many people mistake his detail-laden art pieces for photographs, widely celebrated photo-realist painter Scott Jacobs has moving the basis of his West Coast operation to Deadwood, with Jacobs Gallery and Scott Jacobs Studio now open.

While Jacobs is no stranger to the Black Hills or the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, already owning two homes in Spearfish, this is the first time his company will be based out of South Dakota.

“Now everything will be shipped from South Dakota,” Jacobs said. “We’ve been coming to the Black Hills as a family since 1994. Not only my wife and I, but my daughters love it, as well. We’re in San Francisco and you can get overwhelmed with the amount of traffic and people. It’s so much more comfortable here. What we found is that when we were getting ready to leave South Dakota, we all started dreading it.”

Enter the newest gallery, located at 670 and 672 Main St., Deadwood, where Jacobs will also now do the majority of his painting in a new studio, as well. With the building purchased in August 2015, construction began in October.

“Eight months or so. We already have a couple more times than the building cost us into the renovation,” Jacobs said. “We were thinking around a half a million, but we’re way over that. It’s beautiful. Not because it’s our store, but I think it’s the prettiest retail space in the area.”

Throughout the renovation, Jacobs and crew strived to maintain the historic integrity of the space.

“We restored the mirroring in the ceiling, saved the original meat locker, integrated some of the original Main Street cobblestones,” he explained. “There is a lot of history here. We have Jacob Goldberg’s safe and are doing the building office the

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Destination Deadwood©

same way it was when he had it. It’s an elevated office overlooking the building.”

A treat for visitors, the new gallery and studio houses several Scott Jacobs originals.

“These are rare to see anywhere in the world,” Jacobs explained.

“Over the years, I’ve bought back 33 paintings for display purposes.”

Jacobs Gallery and Scott Jacobs Studio also houses between 200 and 300 other pieces by Jacobs, early 1900s vintage motorcycles, a clothing line, bar ware, kitchen towels and a huge selection of steam punk hats.

“That’s what we’re doing with the old cooler,” Jacobs said. “The meat locker will be the viewing room for the hats and it is spectacular.”

Jacobs arrived into the mainstream of American fine art culture from his roots as Harley-Davidson’s first officially licensed motorcycle artist in 1994, a privilege he still proudly holds.

Over the years, added to that licensing list are; Chevrolet, Ford, Mattel, Marilyn Monroe Estates and Elvis Presley Enterprises.

Jacobs’ art-on-canvas paintings revolve around biker art, car art, lifestyle art, bar art or game-room art. From Harleys to classic cars and wine bottles to delicate, dew-covered flowers, Jacobs explores some of the finer things in life, in a very fine way, indeed.

Jacobs has mastered a multitude of genres in his 20-year career and his modern art depictions on canvas giclees, paintings, canvas prints and posters have found their way to major art collections worldwide including

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museums and numerous celebrities.

His images can be seen on many objects from limited editions graphics to Franklin Mint Collector Plates, coffee mugs, beach towels, clocks and many others.

“I have 34 paintings in process, featuring five different genres I’m concentrating on right now,” Jacobs said. “Most of the stuff I’m painting now are things I personally enjoy in life. A lot of scenes I’ve encountered when traveling with my daughters and wife.

I started riding motorcycles in the late 1970s and that inspiration for art really comes from life.”

Jacobs has been featured on the ABC network television series, “Secret Millionaire,” and continues to travel across the country promoting his artwork.

Jacobs said he looks at the new venture in Deadwood as

a Field of Dreams.

“If you build it, they will come,” Jacobs said. “I’ve never been so busy. The building is 11,000 square feet and we’re putting in a 3,500 square foot apartment in the top half. Studio framing area, studio shipping area, 5,000 square feet of gallery space … this is a thank you to all the people who got us here. We’re giving back to our collectors.”

Why Deadwood?

“It’s a motorcycle mecca,” Jacobs said. “Yes, there’s Sturgis, but Sturgis is not a year-round business …

Deadwood has things to draw you into it, casinos, outdoor recreation. I hope more people take note from what we did and try to bring nicer retail stores to town. We’re trying to make our gallery in Deadwood a destination …

We love Deadwood. We love the Black Hills.” n

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