Deadwood is a town created by the 1876 gold rush. The name came from the dead trees that grew on the canyon walls where Deadwood began. It’s history is full of wild, hardworking and hard drinking gamblers, including Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, both buried here in Mount Moriah Cemetery.
In the 1960’s Deadwood fell on hard times. The citizens of Deadwood formed Deadwood U Bet in 1986 to advocate small stakes gambling. The town has been restored and is home to more than 80 gaming establishments, more than 25 hotels, and over 40 restaurants. There are some Black Hills gold jewelry stores, enough t-shirts and junks shops to send every biker home with a new wardrobe, and too much kitch for a sane person to think about dusting.
We were downtown for the re-enactment of Will Bill Hickok’s death, performed in the middle of Main Street, complete with period clothing, loud gun fire, and gun powder. We also saw the site of Number 10 Saloon, the place Wild Bill was playing cards before his death, and the very chair he sat in while playing those cards.
We found a place called Creekside for dinner that offered outdoor seating in back with an actual creek running below the deck. Out of the steep rock wall, trees were growing, the same kind that I suspect gave this place its name.
I’m tempted to add wrong. Have you filled up the trunk with baubles wrapped in tissue paper. I know how much you love kitch and what fun you have finding places for new stuff. And dusting, isn’t that your favorite relaxation technique.