Deadwood History - Where the Wild West began!

Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer set out in July of 1874 with orders to travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota with a mission to look for suitable locations for a fort, find a route to the southwest, and to investigate the possibility of gold mining.

Despite attempts made by the U.S. Government to keep rumors of gold and wealth secret from the general public in order to honor the Treaty of Fort Laramie, after reports of that expedition hopeful miners still made their way into the Black Hills.

While the Government tried to settle issues of ownership of the Hills with the Lakota Sioux (to whom the land had been ceded to by the federal government in 1868), gold seekers found what they were looking for.

Gold was discovered in Deadwood Gulch in November of 1875, and Homestake Mine was claimed in April 1876. Deadwood (originally named because of the vast amount of dead and downed timber) was established with frenzy as mining camps sprung up overnight. Miners flooded into the Black Hills seeking quick fortune, and with them came the rowdy crowd and lawless atmosphere of gambling, prostitution, and violence, which defined the region during its tumultuous establishment.

In July of 1876 legendary figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane made their entrance into Deadwood, seeking the excitement and fortune that they hoped Deadwood had to offer. Hickok's stay in the Hills was rather short lived, as he was shot in the back of the head while playing poker at Saloon #10 by Jack McCall. Deadwood experienced a significant number of murders in its first years as the rowdy population grew at a rapid rate.

Primitive mining camps eventually gave way to wood and brick buildings and the town began to organize itself into a proper settlement with government and order. However the town suffered a devastating smallpox outbreak in 1876, and was later nearly lost in a fire in 1979, and a flood in 1882.

The railroad reached Deadwood in 1891 connecting it to the outside world and bringing with it various ethnic groups including hundreds of Chinese. Despite being denied equality and facing much hostility from the largely Caucasian community, the Chinese used their ingenuity to establish a Chinatown at the northern end of modern day Main Street, and a monopolization of the laundry business.

The arrival of the railroad brought further development of the town, and the rowdy crowd of the old west gave way to a commercial place to conduct business. Gambling and prostitution saw a rise and fall throughout the prohibition until they were both finally banned and closed in the late 1949's and early 1950's.

Despite the fact that Deadwood became a National Historic Landmark in 1961, the economy fell until the late 1980's when gambling was reintroduced. Historic building preservation and gambling gave way to the modern thriving tourist attraction that exists today.

Come Visit Deadwood and experience the Wild West today!