Day 6 - Deadwood, SD

Not really a lot to write about today. We slept a little later than usual and then went to Deadwood, SD. It is interesting in that the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is in a state of restoration and building (as evidenced by the traffic slow downs we experienced). It is, in fact, the largest historic preservation project in the United States.

When you arrive in Deadwood, you are greeted by new hotels and old saloons. All of which have slot machines. There are 80 places in which to gamble in Deadwood. Limited wage gambling probably saved Deadwood when it was legalized in 1989.

Deadwood was founded in 1876 and was named for the dead trees found in the gulch. Deadwood had the first telephone exchange in the state of South Dakota, and calls were 50 cents (25 cents cheaper than the stagecoach).

The original Deadwood had an economy based on gold mining and lumber. Add tourism to that today. You can still pan for gold at an old mine. Most gold panning now, though, is via the one armed bandits. A local resident told us that the payoffs were really bad, but the town appreciated all of the contributions. When you walk down Main Street in Deadwood, you will hear music from the saloons sung by cowboy want-a-be's. You are also likely to see armed cowboys walking the streets with their 10 gallon hats and side arms tucked into their belts.

A hard climb up Mt. Moriah will take you to the local cemetery. It is of interest due to the fact that Wild Bill Hickock was killed and is buried in Mt. Moriah cemetery. Calamity Jane requested that, at her death, she be buried close to Wild Bill Hickock. The cemetery is the eternal home to some 3000 souls, with only about 1000 of the graves being marked. Many who were buried here were paupers. Their graves would have been marked with wooden crosses, which ultimated rotted away. There was also a large Chinese section. Per their information, the Chinese residents would have been buried in the cemetery, but their bodies would have later been removed from the graves and shipped home to China.

After spending some time seeing the sites and spending a few quarters, we took a ride through Spearfish Canyon between Lead and Spearfish. A most impressive ride.



Tomorrow we head to Devil's tower and the geographic center of the US.