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Deadwood, set in a deep hollow within the Black Hills, was once renowned for being one of the West's wildest gold rush towns. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and offers an entertaining recreation of its past, complete with sawdust-strewn saloons, gaming tables and orchestrated gun fights.
Gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1876 and within months 6,000 gold diggers had arrived, each hoping to strike it rich. They were quickly followed by outlaws and other frontier types, among them Wild Bill Hickok, who was murdered here in 1876, and his sidekick Calamity Jane, an illiterate alcoholic and Wild West show performer. Both are buried in the town's Mount Moriah Cemetery.
Just outside town Mount Rushmore National Memorial is world-famous for its portrayal of four US Presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Begun in 1927, it took 12 years to blast and craft the monolithic figures from solid granite. Each head is around 60 feet long from chin to crown, and Lincoln's nose is a massive 18 feet long. In 1939 the Sioux Native Americans decided to create a monument to honor their great heroes too, and instigated the creation of the hugely impressive Crazy Horse Memorial by Korczak Ziolkowski that stands nearby. This enormous sculpture is still a work in progress but aims to be the world's largest when it is eventually finished.
Nearby Badlands National Park is also well worth visiting for its spectacularly colored and eroded rock formations, and for its remarkably preserved fossils. Adjacent to the park lies the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the second largest in the US, where a monument commemorates the massacre of Native Americans by the US Army at Wounded Knee in 1890. Other nearby attractions include Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park where elk, bighorn sheep, wild donkeys and bison thrive.
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Places near Deadwood
- Rapid City 52 kilometers away
- Keystone 60 kilometers away
- Custer 69 kilometers away
- Sheridan 260 kilometers away
- South Dakota 281 kilometers away
- Wyoming 333 kilometers away
- Billings 407 kilometers away
- Cody 424 kilometers away
- Estes Park 469 kilometers away
Photos of Deadwood
Accommodation choices for Deadwood
We've selected a range of accommodation options for when you visit Deadwood. Our choices usually come recommended for their character, facilities and service or location. Our specialists always aim to suggest properties that match your preferences.
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Martin & Mason Hotel
Deadwood