Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller, Jacque Miller, Matt Miller, Holly Miller, Shane Miller
Date: July 12, 2003
Just like Tombstone, Arizona, this was a great wild west town. The entire city has been designated a National Historic Landmark District. Although it only has a population of 1,300 today, back in the 1800’s Deadwood was known for its lawlessness, murders were common, and justice for murders were not always fair and impartial. Deadwood is also known for its gold rush history and for gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok who was killed on August 2, 1876.
We camped at the Deadwood KOA Campground located on a hill overlooking Main Street. We visited Mount Moriah Cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. At the local museum we saw a large gold nugget and a dinosaur plesiosaur fossil. Deadwood has lots of casinos and Rosie dropped a nickel in a slot machine and won $20 in nickels. Matt and I visited the historic haunted Bullock Hotel, talked to the desk clerk and headed upstairs to the haunted rooms and hallway but saw nothing.
There were constant gunfights in the streets with actors portraying lawmen or bandits. Shane wore his western clothes, bandanna, toy gun belt and gun and fit right in. We got tickets to the “Trial of Jack McCall” both a comedy and historical play. The play began at a local saloon where, during a poker game, McCall shot and killed Wild Bill Hickok. As the sheriff paraded the actor portraying McCall down Main Street to the theater, all of us ticket holders walked with them. Once in the theater the “trial” began. It was very entertaining and we met the western actors afterwards.
