Deadwood (pop. 1,156) is a city in west-central South Dakota, in the Black Hills region. A popular tourist destination, Deadwood gained fame as one of the last frontier mining camps in the United States. The entire city was designated a national historic landmark in 1961.
Deadwood was established in 1876 in a canyon in the Black Hills after news of a gold discovery attracted thousands of people to the area. The city was named for the dead trees found in the canyon. Main Street lay at the bottom of the canyon, called Deadwood Gulch, and tents of miners covered the canyon’s steep sides. Deadwood soon gained a reputation as a brawling, lawless settlement. Its gold supply dried up within a few years, but the city continued to thrive as a supply center for mines in the area. In 1890, it became a railroad terminal and began to grow into a regional industrial center.
Today, lumbering, mining, and tourism are the area’s most important industries. Deadwood’s attractions include the Broken Boot Gold Mine, where visitors may pan for gold, and Mount Moriah Cemetery, where such famous Wild West figures as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. The city holds a celebration called the Days of ’76 every summer. In 1989, to increase tourism, Deadwood legalized casino gambling. The city is the seat of Lawrence County and has a commission form of government.
