Deadwood: A History from Beginning to Present

by Hourly History

Discover the remarkable history of Deadwood...
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In 1874, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led a US Army expedition into the Black Hills of South Dakota, which was at that time under the control of the Lakota people. To the expedition members, this was unknown territory on the leading edge of the American frontier. The purpose of the expedition was not only to find a possible location for a fort and a route through the Black Hills to the Southwest but also to investigate rumors of gold deposits. Custer’s cavalry and infantry were accompanied by specialist miners and geologists whose role was to search for that gold. In August, Custer sent back a dispatch that electrified Washington, “Examinations at numerous points confirm and strengthen the fact of the existence of gold in the Black Hills.”

The following year, prospectors and miners began to flock to the Black Hills. Before long, substantial amounts of gold were discovered in a canyon named Deadwood Gulch because of the dead trees that covered its steep slopes. When news of this discovery spread, more than 20,000 hopeful gold-seekers descended on the area hoping to discover riches. Few struck it lucky, but a temporary camp established to house the incomers grew to become one of the most famous towns of the Wild Deadwood. Deadwood would feature in countless dime novels and, much later, in movies and a television series, becoming a legendary part of the mythology of the Wild West. Let’s take a look at the real history of this iconic town.

Discover a plethora of topics such asThe Custer ExpeditionGold and GrowthThe People of DeadwoodThe LakotaTaming DeadwoodDecline and RecoveryAnd much more!
So if you want a concise and informative book on Deadwood, simply scroll up and click the "Buy now" button for instant access!

Genres: History, Nonfiction

65 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 2025 by Hourly History.

There are a few towns whose names are synonymous with the Old West, such as Dodge City, Kansas and Tombstone, Arizona. Deadwood, South Dakota is one of those names. It keeps on coming up in novels and movies. It brings to mind smoke-filled bars with poker games, gold rushes, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok.

This was Deadwood's wild and turbulent beginning and this short e-book covers that well. But, it also covers the part that no one ever mentions - what does a small, out of the way city do when the gold rush is over and the saloons and casinos have moved on?

To be honest, I hadn't really thought much about post-gold rush Old West cities. But, I have seen the same problem back in the Midwest where I live. Instead of gold mines that petered we had a manufacturing boom that has been in steady decline for 60 years. Factories close, the supporting businesses follow, and a dying town is left in their wake.

What happened to Deadwood is not all that much different than what happened to Detroit, Michigan, Janesville, Wisconsin, or Anderson, Indiana.

The steps that South Dakota has take to revitalize Deadwood have largely been along the lines of leaning in to the Old West past. They brought back gambling and they really pushed the idea of making Deadwood a destination for people interested in Old West historical tourism.

All of this sounds kind of boring, but I thought it was presented quite well.

I rate this e-book 4 stars out of 5.

[Jerry Jares · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story of a town that has reinvented itself and has become the face of the Wild West. Starting as an illegal mining town (the US government had given the territory to the Lakota Indians and eventually took it back again), where so many people arrived to hunt for gold, it became a lawless place, where life was cheap. This period only lasted about twenty years.

When gambling was approved in the 1980s, city fathers decided to reestablish the Wild West in Deadwood with the gambling profits. At about this time, the Wild West was emerging as a popular vacation option. Deadwood soon became a prime destination to visit and experience the Old West. About 2.5 million visitors come to see Deadwood each year.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

This was actually much better than I anticipated. I assumed it might be an AI driven book that was unorganized and just pieced together, but it actually was a great intro for those who have little knowledge of the topic. I will definitely look into more ofbthwse when I am looking for a quick, broad overview of a topic.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadwood is known as a place of lawlessness and violence. It also the town an entire television series covered. One thing interesting is that it's actual reign as a lawless frontier town only really lasted for less than thirty years.

Topics covered include dime novels, treaties, The Battle of Little Big Horn, the influence of the railroads, mining camps, hardware stores, a major fire, Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, opium dens and other topics.

It's a very interesting book.

[New Beginnings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting or "The Rest of the Story "

Entertaining read with a lot of interesting facts on the history of Deadwood. As always these books are a high level overview that allows the reader to glimpse the subject without getting into in-depth discussions. Most of us think of Dead wood in terms of a few short years and from the "Cowboy" movies and TV Western we saw as kids. It was nice to read something about the true history. Good read.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild place

As is pointed out in this book Deadwood is the Wild West. The way it is presented makes for a good story of a frontier town. It was just interesting to me. Call it my cowboy roots.

[Amanda Kastner-Guzzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool read.

I really liked this book. It's direct and informative without being boring. I want to go to Dead wood and now, when I go, I'll already know a lot about it.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative

Great for a short read about a historical location, its people and legacy. It brings up the yearning for a visit into the past.

[Jill Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with amazing facts

Great read, wish I had read it before we visited there a couple of years ago. Historical facts I wish we knew before going there.

[Raelin Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

This is a good history of Deadwood. I'm sure there's a lot more to be told but for a one hour history it's very interesting from start to finish.

[David Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wild West of 1876 - 1895

The Lakota and gambling would have had it good if it wasn’t for the gold miners and the mine workers.