Deadwood, South Dakota!
Deadwood was once a lawless town that attracted gamblers, gunslingers and gold seekers. Today, Deadwood is still a destination for people looking to experience the excitement of the Wild West. We had a blast seeing downtown Deadwood as well as the surrounding attractions.
Broken Boot Gold Mine
We arrived in Deadwood at about 9:00 on May 27th. Our first stop was the Broken Boot Gold Mine. https://brokenbootgoldmine.com/ For current info on times and prices be sure to check their website.
The Broken Boot was established as a working mine in 1878. We learned that along with gold, they also found plenty of iron pyrite, or fool’s gold. The mine made more profit from selling fool’s gold than they did real gold.
You can see in Kenny and Travis’s hands that they provided us bags to collect rocks as we toured the mine. Our guide was quite entertaining.
Safety First
We were rocking our safety gear as we prepared to enter the mine. I think the hat fit Travis the best.
Working Environment
I did not wear the most appropriate shoes for this adventure. The ground was clammy and stuck to the bottom of your shoes. The ceiling was low in several places and we were warned to be careful. The temperature was definitely cooler than outside the mine.
Slow Going
I couldn’t imagine working at the slow pace required to do this job. These men spent hours underground looking for their fortune.
Blocked Off Room
Total Darkness
Our guide Chloe lit a candle to show us what type of light was used when working the mine. Light was very limited. She demonstrated how they hung the candle on the wall or their hat while digging. She also turned off the light and blew out the candle to show absolute darkness should their candles go out. She said to conserve, the miners would eat and take their breaks in the dark.
DUCK!
Even though there were signs, you could see from the wood above that many people had hit their head walking through the tunnel. There was also a “Cheesy” movie filmed in the Broken Boot Mine. Beast from the Haunted Cave tells the story of bank robbers fleeing in the snow who run afoul of a giant spider-like monster that feeds on humans. She also laughingly told us that if we watched it on YouTube we could never regain that time spent in our lives.
Panning for Gold
We could not go to a gold mine and not take the opportunity to pan for gold. We had to pay $10 extra to pan but it was fun. There was definitely not much gold to be found, so it was a $10 adventure in panning and listening to Kenny “help” Becky. Travis was our one time photographer.
Mount Moriah Cemetery – Wild Bill’s Resting Place!
24/7
By tradition, the American flag flies over the cemetery 24 hours a day, rather than merely from sunrise to sunset. This was a great view of Deadwood from a higher elevation. You could see the length of the whole mainstreet thought town.
Mass Graves and Seth Bullock
One section is labelled as a Mass Grave site. A fire burned down a lumber mill killing eleven men sleeping there at the time. Another section is labelled the children’s section, due to the large number of children buried in Mount Moriah that died from the typhus, cholera and smallpox outbreaks.
Seth Bullock was a Canadian American frontiersman, business proprietor, politician, sheriff, and U.S. Marshal. He was a prominent citizen in Deadwood, South Dakota, where he lived from 1876 until his death, operating a hardware store and later a large hotel, the Bullock Hotel. He was good friends with Teddy Roosevelt.
His grave was above the rest of the cemetery and Travis and I had to go a bit further to find and see it. Travis just followed what everyone else had done and located a rock to add to the pile. It was harder than you think since all the rocks close by had already been gathered.
Dead…Wood (from Deadwood)
Travis was so proud of himself when he located dead wood. We even found a dead tree. I’ve gotten used to his humor.
Quick Local Snack
The Boulder Canyon brand snacks were tasty and just the thing we needed to hold us over to lunch after our warm visit though the cemetery.
Adams House
The Historic Adams House is a Queen Anne-style home built in 1892 for the Harris Franklin Family and later purchased by William E. Adams, two prominent Deadwood families. In 1992, the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission purchased the home and restored it to a house museum. The cost to walk around inside was $12.00. Our group decided that a drive by was all that was required to satisfy us. These photos were taken as we drove by and circled the block at 12:25 p.m.
Mickelson Trail
We then headed to the Mickelson Trail head. The trail is 109 miles long and contains more than 100 converted railroad bridges and 4 rock tunnels. The trail surface is primarily crushed limestone and gravel. There are 15 trailheads. If time had allowed, this would have been a fun day of exploration. However, due to our time limit, we only walked 0.1 miles down the trail. It was interesting reading as I was planning this trip. https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/george-s–mickelson-trail/ Maybe one day I will return and have a fun day just biking down the trail.
Welcome
We drove into downtown Deadwood at 1:00. After finding parking, we headed out to find food and get the general lay of the area. The buildings were beautiful. In each picture, you see a blend of the modern and wild west whether it is in the form of people or transportation. It was as common to see a wagon as they were used as cars.
Busy Streets
The parking garage dropped us right onto the street where all the action was. We read windows and signs to determine where the best eating spot for us was going to be. There was too much going on to stop and eat at this point so we headed down the street for a shootout.
Not Flattering at ALL!!
Very unflattering but we couldn’t resist the tourist butt picture.
First Shootout at 2:00 p.m.
We arrived at the location for the shootout at 1:30. We got a great seat and it was an opportunity to people watch. At times it got very loud as motorcycles would come by and rev their engines. Not sure why people think we needed to hear them when they are RIGHT in front of you. The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is in August where thousands of bikers come. I would NOT come that weekend.
“The Strange Tale of David Lunt“
Most of the characters wore microphones. It was easy to hear the conversations/arguments being acted out on the street in front of the Franklin Hotel.
1877: David Lunt, an early resident of Deadwood, South Dakota, was accidentally shot in the forehead during a Saloon fight between a man named Tom Smith and Town Marshal Con Stapleton, who was trying to disarm him. Even though the bullet passed through Lunt’s brain, leaving entry and exit wounds in his head, he remained conscious the whole time and suffered no pain. Lunt then resumed his life as usual until he suddenly felt a terrible headache and died 67 days after the incident. An autopsy found that Lunt had died due to the shot, but could not determine a reason for why he survived for such a long time.
Quick Look in the Franklin Hotel.
Always Something to View
As walked back down the street to saloon #10, we saw many different stores, building, and people to look at.
Shooting of Wild Bill Hickok at Saloon #10
We were able to catch the 3:00 reenactment of when “Crooked Nose” Jack McCall murdered James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok. Wild Bill was playing poker in Nuttal and Mann’s Saloon No. 10 on August 2, 1876, and was shot in the back of the head while holding Aces and Eights, forever known as the “Dead Man’s Hand.” It is neat how they use people from the crowd to assist in the re-enactments.
Buffalo Bodeca Complex and the Buffalo Bar
As you might can tell, we returned to the site of the unflattering butt pictures to get food. Since Deadwood is one of South Dakota’s oldest towns, it should come as no surprise that the longest continually operating bar is in Deadwood as well. We didn’t know this until we read the story as we waited on our food in the outside seating area.
Pause the Food for Shootout #2 at 4:00.
As we were waiting on our food, “Showdown on Gold Street” was getting ready on the street in front of the restaurant. Becky and I ran out to watch as the men waited on the food. We were not as close as the first shootout and it was bit harder to understand what was taking place. Side note: I was starving and my food was waiting as well.
Pricey Window Shopping
I am always looking for a great deal on a souvenir. However, $290.00 boots and $129.00 ripped denim shorts are out of my price window.
“The Boone May/Prescott Webb Altercation” at 6:00 p.m.
AKA the Ice Cream Shootout
One of the best parts of this shootout was the ice cream I was eating from “The Big Dipper.” Right after the shootout ended, this strange guy squatted down in front of me where I was sitting on the curb. He was little closer than need be but harmless. He was VERY interested in where he could get an ice cream like mine. I pointed him down the street and off he went.
Fun with Friends
We spent the next 90 minutes just wandering through the stores and taking pictures. The picture with the bear is PRICELESS. I may frame it!!!
No Stopping Us
The later afternoon hours also brought along a thunderstorm and cooler weather. Becky just bought coffee to stay warm. I wore a sweatshirt I purchased for someone else as a gift from Saloon #10. We continued dashing from covered awning to covered awning as we shopped. We look, but we never buy much. The fun is in the finding I guess.
Trial of Jack McCall
Some of us walked around taking pictures of the saloon (Lisa) and some of us joined in with the entertainer as we were waiting on the trial to begin (Travis). The man was really talented in all the types of music he sang. NOT Travis, he was just enthusiastic and entertaining.
The Mob Scene
The rain slowed down the involvement. Our group however, chose to follow the mob from the scene of the trial back up to Saloon 10 to get Jack McCall. Travis and Kenny were hilarious with their participation.
The Trial of Jack McCall
The play follows the Shooting of Wild Bill and capture of Crooked Nose Jack McCall in front of the Saloon No. 10. This family-friendly show utilizes members of the audience to participate in the performance serving as extras in the Trial. This show is one of the longest running stage plays in the nation, having been performed in Deadwood since the mid-1920s.
What a fun packed day we had in Deadwood, South Dakota. 12 hours not counting the 40 minute drive to and from Rapid City. Great time spent with fabulous friends. Time for bed!!!
Videos from today posted on “Adventures of the Mtnestrs” FB page.
