by Denise Seith

Created on: February 24, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Originally named for the dead trees found in narrow Deadwood Gulch, lumbering was indeed a past livelihood for legendary Deadwood, South Dakota, but its true roots took hold in 1876 during the famous Black Hills Gold Rush. Seemingly overnight, Deadwood was the center of the gold fever, with tents, sawmills, log houses, and saloons springing up everywhere. Although

Deadwood became a ghost town when the gold boom ended just a couple of years later, and remained so for decades, the streets and architecture have since been authentically restored and now the entire town is a national historic landmark. Thanks to the successful HBO series a few years back, you might already be familiar with some of the many legends who lived and died in Deadwood Wild Bill Hickok especially. You can pay your respects to many colorful Wild West characters at the Mount Moriah cemetery.

Although walking tour maps don't quite seem appropriate for a cemetery, grab a guide at the cemetery's information center. This hillside graveyard actually feels more like a peaceful park, and is the final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Potato Creek Johnny (a local who found one of the largest gold nuggets in the Black Hills), Preacher Henry Weston Smith (credited with first bringing Christianity to the Black Hills), and Blanche Colman (the first woman admitted to the South Dakota bar) to name just a few. Records exist for about 3,627 people buried at Mount Moriah, though historians think the actual number may by higher due to lost or incomplete information. Mount Moriah also provides a panoramic view of the town below and sweeping vistas of the Black Hills.

For a small town, Deadwood is big on entertaining its visitors. Over 80 historic gaming halls offer gamblers everything from nickel slots to $100 poker bets (legalized gaming began in 1989), and history buffs can visit the town's many museums and tour Victorian homes. The fully restored Adams House, built in 1892, is especially elegant and filled with original furniture and other household items. Walk down Main Street and find contemporary saloons, gift shops, restaurants, and more.

Modern-day prospectors can head just outside of town to the Broken Boot Mine and try your luck at gold panning after taking the underground tour. The Broken Boot is a fun and unique setting to see old-time gold mining techniques and learn why all that glitters is not gold the original owners of the mine actually made more money selling fool's gold than they did the real stuff! If active outdoor adventure is more your speed, plenty of trails and secluded woods surround Deadwood and are perfect for hiking, bicycling, fishing, and winter sports.

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