On a visit to Deadwood, it is easy to engage with the past and experience the Gold Rush days or the set for the more modern Deadwood TV series. Only an hour from Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood got its name when prospectors arrived at the Black Hills in the late 1800’s and saw a gulch full of dead trees- but they also claimed they saw a creek full of gold. By 1876 this was an outpost for gold seekers, outlaws, gamblers, and gunslingers. Legends including Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane roamed the streets. Wild Bill was the most famous Deadwood resident who was shot while playing poker. He was holding a pair of aces and eights, and this series of cards became known to poker players all around the world as the “Dead Man’s Hand.” Calamity Jane was known as a foul-mouthed humanitarian who preferred men’s clothing and nursed Deadwood residents stricken by the smallpox epidemic.
Deadwood could have easily become another Old West vacant ghost town. However, today the buildings have been lovingly maintained and there is a theater troupe known as Deadwood Alive that walks the streets and performs short re-enactments throughout the day. The characters retell stories of historic events from 150 years ago in context with tremendous passion. We saw three free shows and were easily drawn into the experience. Two were acted out on the street in Historic Deadwood and another in a bar. Warning: They were so real that little kids may fear the gunshots and may not understand that it is a performance. I saw the actors talking to some older kids before the show to make sure that they knew that the smoke coming out of the gun was cream of wheat!
It is enjoyable to just walk around town and experience the architecture and historic sites. Many of the saloons have original wooden interiors and the bartenders are dressed in character. To entertain the many tourists Deadwood draws many name performers, festivals and as a revival of history limited-wage gambling is legal.
Two miles away just up the hill in Lead we experienced Neutrino Day with dozens of STEM experiments including building a doodling robot and making ice cream out of dry ice. There was also a classic car show in the supermarket parking lot where the owners invited visitors to sit in their cars.
