One of its largest industries was outlawed for several decades. If you're holding aces and eights, watch your back. Allow Freedom Rolling to Lead you down to this twin city.
Welcome to Deadwood, South Dakota. Just off the northern terminus of US Route 385, Deadwood is a place for gamblers, gold seekers, and other enthusiasts of the wild west. Although Deadwood has quite the history of these activities, both before and after South Dakota officially became a state, public gaming of this sort was outlawed shortly after World War II. Although the pastime continued in secret, the town was even further declined as a result of a fire in 1987 that ravaged the city. Looking to save Deadwood from becoming just another ghost town, the "Deadwood You Bet!" campaign successfully lobbied the state to once again legalize gambling. Although many fuel stations will have the colloquially known "Video Lottery" machines in their so-aptly titled "casinos", Deadwood remains the place in the state to find full service gaming.
Deadwood has much more history to it than simple gambling. In the mid-1870's, the city of Deadwood was founded as a result of one of the primary industries in the west: Mining of gold. Once Frank Bryant found the metal, it was just a matter of time before the city was built to what is seen today. There was an additional fire that ravaged the area in the late 1800's, but Deadwood was re-built and is still preserved by today's historical society. Other notable names of Deadwood include James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, a former deputy who had moved to Deadwood and was shot by a recent poker opponent, along with Martha "Calamity" Jane Cannary, who supposedly had once married and had children with Wild Bill and remained in Deadwood after his death.
Today, Deadwood remains a real-life replica of what life once was in the city. Take a stroll down Main Street, visiting Saloon No. 10 where Wild Bill was shot, or perhaps see a re-enactment of one of the several famous gunfights of the city. Take a drive up Mount Moriah to the final resting places of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, or slightly north to see the Tatanka Story of Bison. If the few streets of Deadwood have tickled your fancy, take a trip across the other side of the terminus of US Route 385 and up the mountain to the twin city of Lead. While there, experience the Black Hills Mining Museum, dedicated to an industry that still exists in the area today.
So the next time you want to experience the history of the Wild West, Follow your Internal Compass right to the city of Deadwood.
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