Deadwood, South Dakota

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For other uses, see Deadwood.

A photograph of Deadwood in 1876. General view of the Dakota Territory gold rush town from a hillside above.

Deadwood is the county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,380 at the 2000 census.

At high noon on November 1, 1989, the City of Deadwood celebrated the official start of limited-stakes gambling, becoming the third place in the United States to legalize gaming (after Atlantic City and the state of Nevada). Since then, over $170 million in public and private funds have been invested in restoring the community, making it one of the largest ongoing historic preservation projects in North America. Its frontier history, regular public entertainment events and the surrounding Black Hills National Forest have turned it into a popular visitor spot, attracting more than two million tourists yearly.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Deadwood in fiction
4 Demographics
5 Notable Natives
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Deadwood, South Dakota

In 1874 Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Hills and announced the discovery of gold on French Creek near present-day Custer, South Dakota. Custer's announcement triggered the Black Hills gold rush and gave rise to the lawless town of Deadwood, which quickly reached a population of around 5,000. In early 1876, frontiersman Charlie Utter and his brother Steve led a wagon train to Deadwood containing what were deemed to be needed commodities to bolster business, that included gamblers and prostitutes, which proved to be a profitable venture. Businessman Tom Miller opened the Bella Union Saloon in September of that year.

It was to be the site of the Homestake Mine, operated by Fred and Moses Manuel. It attained notoriety for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok, and remains the final resting place of Hickok and Calamity Jane, as well as slightly less famous figures such as Seth Bullock. It became known for its wild and almost lawless reputation, during which time murder was common, and punishment for murders not always fair and impartial.

As the economy changed from gold rush to steady mining, Deadwood lost its rough and rowdy character and settled down into a prosperous town. In 1876 a smallpox epidemic swept through the camp, with so many falling sick that tents had to be set up to quarantine them. Also in that year, General George Crook pursued the Sioux Indians from the Battle of Little Big Horn on an expedition that ended in Deadwood, and that came to be known as the Horsemeat March.

A fire on September 26, 1879, devastated the town, destroying over 300 buildings and consuming everything belonging to many inhabitants. Without the opportunities of rich untapped veins of ore that characterized the town's early days, many of the newly impoverished left town to try their luck elsewhere.

A narrow gauge railroad, the Deadwood Central Railroad, was founded by Deadwood resident J.K.P. Miller and his associates in 1888, in order to serve their mining interests in the Black Hills. The railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1893. A portion of the road between Deadwood and Lead was electrified in 1902 for operation as an interurban passenger system, which operated until 1924. Apart from a portion from Kirk to Fantail Junction, which was converted to standard gauge, the railroad was abandoned in 1930. The remaining section was abandoned by the successor Burlington Northern Railroad in 1984.^[1]

Some of the other early town residents and frequent visitors included Al Swearengen and his employees Dan Doherty and Johnny Burns, E. B. Farnum, Charlie Utter, Sol Star, Martha Bullock, A. W. Merrick, Samuel Fields, Harris Franklin, Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy, and the Reverend Henry Weston Smith.

[edit] Geography

Deadwood today (view from Mount Moriah)

Deadwood is located at 44°22′36″N, 103°43′45″W^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 km² (3.8 mi²), all land.

Deadwood has been assigned the ZIP code 57732 and the FIPS place code 15700.

[edit] Deadwood in fiction

The town's early history forms the basis for the storyline of the HBO TV series named Deadwood.
In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode A Fistful of Datas, the holodeck program Worf, his son Alexander, and Deanna Troi participate in takes place in 19th century Deadwood.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 1,380 people, 669 households, and 341 families residing in the city. The population density was 141.0/km² (365.4/mi²). There were 817 housing units at an average density of 83.5/km² (216.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.87% White, 1.88% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.65% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population.

There were 669 households out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,641, and the median income for a family was $37,132. Males had a median income of $28,920 versus $18,807 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,673. About 6.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.