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Inside The Real History Of Deadwood, The Wild West’s Infamous Hotbed Of Brothels, Saloons, And Opium Dens
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Anyone with even a passing interest in the history of the Wild West has surely heard of Deadwood. What is now a small South Dakota town with a population of just 1,300 was once a bustling hub of activity — both legal and illegal — that helped define the very story of the American West in the late 19th century.
This is largely because Deadwood, which flourished starting in the 1870s thanks to its proximity to nearby gold mines, hosted its fair share of iconic and infamous Wild West figures, including Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok. But there's much more to the story of Deadwood than just colorful characters like these.
From its illegal founding in Lakota territory to its rowdy Wild West days to its modern designation as a National Historic Landmark District, here's everything you need to know about the story of Deadwood, one of American history's most infamous towns.
Deadwood's Illegal Founding After Gold Was Discovered In The Black Hills
Wikimedia CommonsThe 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which promised Lakota people the Black Hills of South Dakota.
White people began to settle the area in the 1870s. At the time, Deadwood got its distinct name due to the dead trees found in the nearby gulch by early settlers.
The land upon which Deadwood sits was officially Lakota land, according to the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The treaty promised the Black Hills, which was sacred land, to the Lakota people.
Nevertheless, this didn't stop illegal white settlement on the land. However, the truly pivotal moment was when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer (famous for Custer's Last Stand) led a journey through the region in 1874.
When that expedition found gold, it sparked the Black Hills gold rush. Soon, the land that had been guaranteed to the Lakota was no longer theirs.
Like many other towns in the region established during this time, Deadwood started out as a mining camp. A formal town wouldn't be laid out until 1876, as thousands of people made their way west in search of gold.
Around this time, dance halls, gambling establishments, saloons, and brothels were built along Lower Main Street. This area became known for its seedy activity, and was nicknamed the "bad lands" of Deadwood.
Also in 1876, a frontiersman named Charlie Utter brought a wagon to Deadwood, bringing with it 100 passengers, including Madame Mustache and Dirty Em, who set up a brothel referred to as Deadwood Gulch. Also on Utter's wagon were notable Wild West figures Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.
With their arrival, the storied Wild West era of Deadwood's history came into full swing.
The Lawless Wild West Years In Deadwood
It was during this time that Deadwood became known for its lawlessness and earned its rough-and-tumble Wild West reputation. Brothels in the town were particularly successful, bringing madams like Dora DuFran and Mollie Johnson lots of profit.
But more serious and deadly crimes were also taking place. On August 2, 1876, for instance, gambler and gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed in Deadwood. He was playing poker in Nuttal & Mann's Saloon when he was shot in the back of the head by a rival gambler.
Wikimedia CommonsJack McCall, the man who killed Wild Bill Hickok in 1876.
His murderer was a man named Jack McCall, who had sat down for a poker game with Hickok the day before. McCall was said to have lost miserably, at which time Hickok encouraged him to quit before he got to the point where he wouldn't be able to pay back his debts. Hickok even offered the man money so that he could buy himself breakfast.
McCall was left terribly insulted by this heavy loss, despite Hickok's sportsmanship. The next day, while Hickok was playing poker, McCall came up behind him and shot him in the head at point-blank range, killing him instantly.
McCall would actually be prosecuted twice for Hickok's murder. A quick trial in Deadwood found him not guilty. But because Deadwood was illegally built on Lakota land, it was decided that the U.S. had no power to prosecute him for murder. So, the trial moved to Dakota Territory federal court, where he was convicted and hanged.
Hickok was buried in Deadwood's Mount Moriah Cemetery, in a plot paid for by the man whose wagon brought Hickok to the town, Charlie Utter. His epitaph reads, "Wild Bill, J. B. Hickok killed by the assassin Jack McCall in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876. Pard, we will meet again in the happy hunting ground to part no more. Goodbye, Colorado Charlie, C. H. Utter."
Hickok wasn't the only Wild West figure buried in that cemetery. His sometime-partner-in-crime Calamity Jane was buried there after her death in 1903. Seth Bullock, the town's sheriff and a prominent business owner who opened the first hardware store in Deadwood, is also buried at Mount Moriah.
Bullock was perhaps most famous for his confrontations with the infamous Al Swearengen. The town's main merchant of vice, he was involved in everything from gambling to prostitution to prizefights to opium.
In April 1877, Swearengen, opened the notorious Gem Theater. This theater wasn't hosting Shakespeare or putting on musicals, but was instead a popular and successful saloon that featured much more scandalous entertainment. At its height, the Gem raked in the modern equivalent of about $300,000 per night.
However, vice isn't all that the story of Deadwood has to offer.
The Rise And Fall Of Deadwood's Historic Chinatown
Wikimedia CommonsIn the late 19th century, Deadwood had the largest Chinatown east of San Francisco.
Deadwood was indeed much more than a turbulent, lawless Wild West town. It was also home to what was, at the time, America's largest Chinatown east of San Francisco.
This part of town developed in 1877, as some Chinese immigrants moved to the area following the news of gold being found in the Black Hills. By 1880, as many as 400 Chinese men, women, and children lived in Deadwood.
Many of the Chinese people in Deadwood lived in collective housing in order to continue practicing their own cultural traditions, as well as aid in the transition of moving to a new place. But despite this de facto segregation, they were still largely welcomed into the larger Deadwood community.
They participated in races and rallies during July 4th festivities, while traditional Chinese foods were imported to the area. Despite growing anti-Chinese discrimination in the U.S. as a whole during this period, the Chinese people in Deadwood saw less discrimination, at least for a time, than did those in other Chinese communities across the country.
However, the Chinese community in Deadwood did indeed face some negative anti-immigration sentiment, especially as the mining industry in the area began to change. After the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed in 1882, Chinatown's numbers began to dwindle. By 1900, only 73 Chinese individuals remained in Deadwood.
How Deadwood's Wild West Roots Are Still Visible To This Day
Deadwood.comDeadwood's main street in the early 20th century.
As mining in the area transitioned from gold panning to deep-earth mining, Deadwood began to lose some of its more rowdy residents and started becoming a prosperous mining industry town. But on September 26, 1879, a devastating fire swept through Deadwood.
The fire left very little standing, burning down more than 300 buildings and destroying many of the residents' belongings. As a result, many people left Deadwood behind to start over somewhere else. The 1880 census put the town's population at just 3,777, down from perhaps as many as 25,000 just a few years earlier.
As mining operations expanded, the railroad came to Deadwood. In 1888, J.K.P. Miller established a narrow-gauge railroad, named the Deadwood Central Railroad, specifically for mining operations.
In this same era, electricity came to Deadwood. Less than four years after electricity had first been commercialized, residents in Deadwood were able to enjoy this modern marvel.
As Deadwood entered the 20th century, it was developing into a proper and prosperous mining town, leaving its Wild West days behind. Fittingly, in a sign of the changing times, the Gem Theater closed its doors in 1899 after a fire broke out during renovations, prompting Al Swearengen to leave town for good.
But today, Deadwood has maintained its Old West aesthetic. In 1961, the entirety of the town was designated a National Historic Landmark District.
In the mid-20th century, it saw some success as a tourism and road trip destination. This declined a bit after the construction of Interstate 90, which bypasses the town. But if you drive through South Dakota on I-90 today, you'll see plenty of billboards advertising tours and activities in Deadwood, which saw some renewed interest following the HBO show Deadwood that ran for several seasons in the 2000s.
Today, the town boasts modern casinos, resort hotels, and concerts. In a way, Deadwood is continuing to thrive thanks to people looking to gamble, drink, have fun, and generally experience life in a frontier town — even though Deadwood's days of Wild West infamy are now very much in the past.
After reading about Deadwood's history, discover these nine legendary lawmen that tried to tame the Wild West. Then, take a look at these 33 photos from Old West mining towns.
The post Inside The Real History Of Deadwood, The Wild West’s Infamous Hotbed Of Brothels, Saloons, And Opium Dens appeared first on All That's Interesting.
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