Still Kicking

One pilgrimage well worth a visit is a trip to Mount Moriah Cemetery just above town to see the graves of Wild Bill and his friend Martha Jane Canary, better known as Calamity Jane. Not terribly unlike the woman depicted in the Doris Day movie, Jane was notorious for wearing male clothes and otherwise bucking the social conventions of the day. Although she claimed she and Hickok were lovers, this notion has been disputed by historians, and in fact Hickok married another woman just a few months prior his death.

Also popular in town is the Adams House and Museum, housed in a Victorian-style mansion dating from the 1930s, which contains artifacts, photographs, and exhibits about some of Deadwood's most famous citizens. Also interesting is a trip to nearby Lead (pronounced Leed), where you can visit a different mine, the Homestake Mine, which gives a one-hour surface mine tour.

Like many small towns, Deadwood has an annual festival, the Wild Bill Hickok Days, which takes place in early June. Activities at this festival include live concerts, Wild West reenactments, and gunslinging contests. The festival often draws crowds upward of 50,000, and the American Bus Association has listed it as one of the top 100 events of 2006.

Due to its location in the Black Hills, a trip to Deadwood can easily be combined with a visit to Mount Rushmore, Gutzon Borglum's massive sculpture honoring U.S. Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. And if four presidents aren't enough for you, you can visit Presidents Park, an outdoor museum featuring larger-than-life busts of all the Presidents of the United States with biographical information on each. The area sits on the edge of the Badlands, which are known for their bizarre, otherworldly scenery. There is plenty of outdoor recreation available in this beautiful area as well.

Sources

Official Guide to Deadwood, South Dakota
http://www.deadwood.org

Legends of America
(Has lots of information on Deadwood and other Wild West sites)
http://www.legendsofamerica.com

Broken Boot Gold Mine
http://www.brokenbootgoldmine.com

Adams Museum and House
http://www.adamsmuseumandhouse.org

Presidents Park
http://www.presidentspark.com

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