Deadwood
www.deadwood.com

Located just miles from the Wyoming-South Dakota border in the heart of the American West, Deadwood’s wild and wooly past began with America’s last great gold rush in 1876. Thousands of faceless miners, madams, muleskinners, gamblers, gunslingers and fortune-seekers mingled on Deadwood’s streets with Western heroes like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and Charlie Utter. Though different, one thing bound them together: gold, the symbol of wealth, fortune and the American dream of a better life.
 
Some mined it, some traded for it and others shuffled for it. In so doing, they created a thriving community that would reverberate with their deeds for centuries to come. Their brick-paved streets, Victorian mansions and imposing stone edifices survive today as a living testament to the strength, dedication and tenacity of Deadwood’s early residents. The people of Deadwood celebrated the return of gaming at high noon on November 1, 1989, becoming only the third place in the United States (after Nevada and Atlantic City) to legalize gambling.
 
Since then, more than $6.8 billion has been wagered in Deadwood. These funds have helped to once again revitalize the aging 128-year-old community. Historic preservation funds have created dozens of ongoing restoration projects, making Deadwood a hub for artisans, masons, engineers, historians, archaeologists, writers and other professionals.
 
Gaming funds also have provided dozens of grants and zero-interest/zero-payment loans for owners of historic homes. Funds for restoring paint, retaining walls, siding and the general structure of houses in the historic district are available for property owners. Many loan programs are designed so that the loan is forgiven (in whole or in part) if the owner remains a resident of the home for a specific period of time. Additionally, potential restoration projects are plentiful; in fact, census figures show that the average residential structure in Deadwood was built in 1939 (versus the national statistic of 1971). Gaming funds also have been employed to renovate public buildings and property. The Adams Museum, the Adams House and Mount Moriah Cemetery – the resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny, Seth Bullock, Dora DuFran and Preacher Henry Smith, among others – have all been the subjects of major restoration work over the past several years.
 
Deadwood is loosely broken into eight neighborhoods, each with its own block club. The Presidential District, Forest Hill, Upper Main Street, Burnham Avenue, Rodeo Grounds, Survivor’s Ridge, McGovern Hill and Peck’s Garden block clubs sponsor various civic activities during the year, including organized picnics, spring flower planting, cleanup days and holiday decorating, among others. The city’s recreation center, housed in the 1914 Deadwood Business Club Auditorium, has an indoor swimming pool, exercise room and basketball and tennis courts for the use of the community.
 
Deadwood residents also pride themselves on the physical beauty of their Black Hills home. Deadwood is just a few miles from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Devils Tower National Monument, Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Park, Custer State Park and Bear Butte State Park. Additionally, the million-acre Black Hills National Forest provides ample opportunities for hiking, world-class rock climbing, boating, fishing, hunting and biking. Deadwood sits at the northern end of the Mickelson Trail, one of the region’s premier rails-to-trails projects. Open to hikers, bikers, horseback riders and snowmobiles, the Mickelson Trail follows ancient railroad tracks 117 miles through the granite peaks and ponderosa forest of the Black Hills.
 
Because most of the city was developed before the advent of cars, most neighborhoods are within walking distance to Deadwood’s vibrant commercial district. Thanks to a bustling visitor industry (more than two million tourists pass through the community annually), residents have access to restaurants, attractions, special events and civic services often reserved only for cities 20 or 30 times as large. The Days of ’76 rodeo and parade, the Deadwood Jam, Kool Deadwood Nites and dozens more parades and celebrations often incorporate free outdoor street concerts by national recording acts, including country duo Big & Rich, who view Deadwood as their second home.