by Tim Harry

Created on: December 28, 2008   Last Updated: December 08, 2011

The Old Wild West of North America was a rapidly evolving country, with new settlements springing up, living for a short period and either dying quickly or occasionally growing into major settlements. Deadwood, South Dakota, is one of the rare frontier towns that sprung up from nothing, and has survived through to the present day, although with a much reduced population from its peak. Deadwood has the additional accolade though of being brought back to the front of people's minds by being the setting for a HBO series of the same name.

Deadwood, South Dakota, came into being as a result of a rapid series of events following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. At the time though, 1874, the Black Hills belonged to the Lakota tribe, and it was an ownership that has been recognised by the American government. This though did not prevent hundreds of prospectors from heading into area. The Black Hills soon teemed with miners, and entrepreneurs soon realised that there was money to be made from servicing them, and the first settlement was built at Deadwood, gaining its name from the dead trees that littered the area.

Famous individuals of the Wild West made their way to Deadwood, and the likes of Steve and Charlie Utter, Al Swearengen, and Madam Dora DuFran, soon set up their profitable businesses in the city. Whilst in the main their businesses were legitimate, Deadwood also attracted the most lawless elements of frontiersmen, all looking to relieve the miners of their gold. It was in Deadwood that Wild Bill Hickok was murdered, and that Seth Bullock worked as town marshal.

After a couple of years though the initial gold rush was dying down and serious mining was needed to extract the gold from the ground. This along with a devastating fire, saw the town rebuild itself as a settled, lawful and prosperous settlement.

Today Deadwood prospers on its link to its past, and two million visitors make their way to Deadwood each year. The city is included in within a National Historic Landmark District, and as a result it is a normal site to see people dressed in Wild West garb making their way along the streets. The city does like to play up the traditional image of a frontier settlement, but visitors should have no complaints, after all it is the reason that they are probably there. It is an image that shops, restaurants, hotels and casinos play up to, and it is easy enough to imagine yourself back to the time of the Earp brothers and others from the era. Visitors

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