Deadwood, city (2020 pop. 1,271),
seat of Lawrence co., W S.Dak.; settled 1876 after discovery of gold. A
Black Hills tourist center, it is also a trade hub for a lumbering,
stock-raising, and mining region. Built in a narrow canyon, with houses
climbing the steep sides, Deadwood Gulch (so called because its trees had
been killed by fire) boomed and waned with the discovery and abandonment of
nearby gold and silver mines. Its history is commemorated in the Adams
Memorial Museum and an annual “Days of '76” celebration. The
graves of Wild Bill Hickok (shot in a
saloon here during a card game) and Calamity Jane are in Deadwood's
“Boot Hill.” Gambling casinos, legalized in 1989, now dominate
Deadwood's economy.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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