Deadwood: 1876-1976

Images of America: South Dakota

by Bev Pechan, Bill Groethe

Think about the most romantically notorious Wild West town you ever heard of, and most likely Deadwood would head the list. Deadwood has more than its share of legends, heroes, and brigands who traveled through or made their homes here: Wild Bill and Calamity Jane to be sure, but also Buffalo Bill, Wyatt Earp, Captain Jack Crawford (the "Poet Scout"), California Joe, Seth Bullock, Poker Alice, and many more. No other frontier town--not Dodge City, Tombstone, Abilene, or Cripple Creek--could claim them all. Deadwood is the champion, and was the happening place in the late 1870s. This legacy lives on today as casino gambling--perhaps ironically but fittingly--financed the preservation of historic downtown Deadwood begining in 1989, an area that is now designated a National Historic Landmark.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 24, 2005

Reviews

[Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice pictorial look at the history of miners, scoundrels and performers that ended up in the Deadwood area.

Three quotes of note:

Regarding the competitive nature of hose cart races between the area teams, "a round of fisticuffs afterward was expected and enjoyed by all."

Potato Creek Johnny became famous for finding a gigantic piece of gold in the aforementioned creek. "Rumor has it that he was a worse than awful fiddle player and did not smell too well."

Sarah "Aunt Sally" Campbell was a cook on Custer's 1874 expedition to the Black Hills. She was also described as "a mountain of dusky flesh."

[Nancy 6+ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pictorial history of the wild west town of Deadwood, South Dakota during its gold rush heyday. Colorful characters abound, including Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody, and others. I read this as a prelude to watching the series, for historical perspective.

[Travis Heermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent pictorial history of Deadwood, great for a getting a sense of how the place looked from Gold Rush mining camp to full-fledged town.

[Tiffany L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved looking at all of the old pictures!!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read an Images of America book yet, you should. They're easy reads, full of fascinating pictures and history. I read this one on the way to see the premier of the HBO movie Deadwood. I found it interesting reading about the town and people that inspired the TV series. The photos were definitely the best part.

[Mike Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

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