The Real Deadwood

by John Edward Ames

The Black Hills of the Dakota Territory – sacred grounds for the Lakota, and one of the richest sections of land the world has ever known. With "easy color" ripe for the taking, the population of the gold rush town of Deadwood jumped from about eight hundred to over ten thousand, as over a million dollars of gold was pulled from the ground between June and July of 1876. With no law, no order, and a volatile collection of inhabitants still recovering from the Civil War, there weren't enough pigs in Chinatown to dispose of all the bodies.

Not since the first signs of color have so many people flocked to Deadwood, only now they're tuning in to the acclaimed HBO series of the same name. With a cast of historically rich characters, The Real Deadwood explores the lives of "Wild Bill" Hickok, Al Swearengen, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, and a host of others. An historical crossroad of the American West, even Wyatt Earp came to Deadwood, only to bump heads with Seth Bullock. Other celebrated visitors over the years include Buffalo Bill Cody, the Sundance Kid, Bat Masterson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Looking at a world of primitive medicine, prostitution, and law from lawlessness, The Real Deadwood separates the facts from the fiction in its overview of a town violent enough to rival the likes of Tombstone, Dodge City, and Abilene.

"Poor man's diggings" is what they called it, how it was found, taken, and swindled away is the story of life on the frontier – when roughing it was truly rough. It's good versus evil and civilization versus anarchy. It's the real Deadwood.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Historical, Westerns, The United States Of America, Biography

167 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Also writes as Judd Cole

John Edward Ames has an MA in English and taught writing at the University of Northern Colorado and University of New Mexico before becoming a full time writer in 1987. His 56 novels include 45 westerns and western historicals. The Unwritten Order (1995) was nominated for a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. He began his career at age 19 as a journalist in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of the many historical figures that made this town & era famous. Nice read. Recommended

[Samuel Neisner]

I enjoyed reading about a town which I actually visited a few years ago. It was fairly easy to read, and I do recommend it.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book claims to give the stories behind the characters of the TV series Deadwood. It is written in a style that seemed dumbed down to me, like maybe it was written for an adult who reads at a fourth grade reading level. I got it from BookMooch, so I'm ok with the fact that it wasn't such a great book, but I'm sure glad I didn't pay for it.

[Katie O’Reilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Offensively dumb short history of Deadwood. Complains Calamity Jane only died of inflamed bowels instead of something more exciting and suggests there were so many murders in Deadwood because everyone was bored. The author's primary interests appear to be prostitutes and Will Bill Hickock's moustache.

[Tony Bake · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is "gift shop gold." Bought it in South Dakota, love the show, the book was overpriced and light on information. Do i regret reading it? No. But not really worth buying.

[Todd Haines · Rating 2 out of 5]

Refers to the HBO series too much.

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Times and tales of the Wild West have a dire and dirty air about them, intentionally so, and Ames does a nice job infusing that blurred line between the fall of anarchy and the rise of law in Dakota territories west of the Mississippi after the turn of the 20th Century. But reading Ames is like reading the work of a high school freshman, someone who absentmindedly asks questions that he never answers, or starts themes he never finishes. More often than not, it’s like Ames is writing an extended book report on the HBO series with snippets of things he found on a website here and there. This book is amateurish at best, but as I am en route to the Black Hills in a couple of weeks, I wanted a better sense of the characters and vibes of Deadwood. And this certainly gave me what I was seeking, albeit in a short and somewhat sloppy form.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Real Deadwood by John Ames is one of those books that feels like how you rate it is linked to what you are looking for. If for example you are looking for an in depth look at Deadwood and the people associated with it then you would be disappointed and would rate it low. If, however you are just interested in the content, more like a souvenir of a trip or just a casual interest then this book gives you that. It is the sort of book picked up in a gift shop. There is just enough information to start your journey of discovery that will be taken up with other more detailed books.
I went into it with no expectations, just an interest in this period of US history and for that it delivered. Would I read it again, no. Would I look for more information after getting a taste for it in this book, yes.

[Sarah Piper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm starting this review with a disclaimer that I bought this as a souvenir on vacation to Deadwood. That being said ... I wasn't expecting a New York Times bestseller from a gift shop.

But I thought it was really good. I was hoping for more history and details. It was a little generic for me. I wanted more history of the actual "historical characters" of the lawless west. And I could have done without all of the references to the HBO show ... But I was pretty impressed for a souvenir gift shop book.

Unrelated: Might start making "souvenir book purchases about the places I visit" my new tradition when I go on trips. With special notes on the inside cover including what year it was purchased ...

[John Ulrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only give 4/5 stars but if I were grading it on what it is designed for I would give 5/5. It's not an encyclopedia for what happened in Deadwood but rather a very nice companion piece to the HBO series. In fact I suggest the best way to read this book is one chapter after every episode of the series (After watching S01E01, read Ch1...after S01E02, read Ch2...)
I did something similar with The Tudors when I watched and it made the entire series so much more enjoyable. Characters who seem minor in the show you might find out they were more a part of the story in real life. You also find out which characters had their names changed, stories altered etc.

But this is a must read if you want to enhance your Deadwood binging experience or just read a primer on the real Deadwood.

[Kathy Leland · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a book that detailed the extent to which the producers of the TV series Deadwood based the characters and events on historical truth, and this book does that to some degree. However, it's poorly written, is often simplistic, and much of the research just seems very lazy and haphazard, as if the author didn't want to take the trouble to delve too deeply into historical primary sources. The typeface is huge, so this is more of a long, rambling essay than a book. You can read it in about 2 hours, and it is sometimes interesting, but my search for a book about the REAL real Deadwood continues.

[Travis Heermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a fun read. Too short for serious study, but full of fun little tidbits about the larger-than-life characters that inhabited Deadwood in the Gold Rush days. If you're a fan of HBO's Deadwood series like I am, you'll also appreciate the comparisons between the television version and the real history.

[Matthew Richey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of fun, which is the only reason it has 2 stars instead of 1. Not very well written or researched. More intended for people interested in knowing the historical characters behind the show than a true history of the town. I should have dug a little deeper before checking this one out, but I needed something light and easy so this fit the bill I suppose.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The categories and how the author found a way to fit in so many random topics kept it very interesting. I loved that he kept all the historical facts true and didn't fall prey to the over-exaggerated stories. Its very accurate. Definitely recommend if you're interested in more history before visiting Deadwood!

[Mike Barat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have used some more details, however nonetheless it was interesting and I learned a lot of facts I never knew before reading this book. Although this book has it's faults it's still worth reading and the writing is good and over all the chapters have a good flow to them. In less you ready know a lot about this era in American history I would recommend reading this book.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. I didn't like how the author kept referring to the HBO series throughout the book. It took away from the information. That being said, this was a good starter to the history of Deadwood & the variety of characters that roamed her streets, saloons, & brothels.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives a 10,000 foot overview of the history of dead wood. It is a very quick read and gives pointers to references if you want more details. I would have enjoyed a more in-depth book on the area as it seems full of unique Western history on the frontier.

[Candida · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quick and entertaining read. It refers back to the TV show often and makes comparisons to what we know historically and what the show chose to portray about the characters and place and time.

[Robert Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book quite well. It is a rather quick look at the town of Deadwood and some of the more famous inhabitants. It gave me a quick familiarity on a time, place, and characters that I otherwise knew very little about. It is by no means a thorough, in-depth history.

[Christi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written for fans of the HBO show, this is a fact vs. fiction book. It was interesting to read, but glossed over a lot of nuance and in-depth history due to its goal of simply setting the record straight.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a trip to Deadwood with my family. Due to covid they aren't running tours so I wanted to brush up and get some fun facts to share. This was great for that. Have never seen HBOs Deadwood but it doesn't bring it up too often.

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read book in that it told reatively most important signifiacate facts of history pertaining to early Deadwood. What I would really like to know is why did Bill Hickok sit with his back to the door?

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a fan of the Deadwood series and wanted more information. I am particularly interested in Seth Bullock and his promoting the Black Hills.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Reviee

This book is a nice, colorful history read. I was not in a mood to read anything heavy. It is informative.

[Mary Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave Away

[Nick Guzan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially a series of accessible essays, this makes a fine companion piece for the HBO series but isn’t exactly a comprehensive history on its own

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not watched the TV series so those references went over me. The book does offer tidbits of Deadwood history, not too deep into any of it. Good book to start with.

[Gary Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an excellent book showing the real Deadwood and the reality of many famous Western characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it extremely interesting.

[Roy Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Covers Deadwood good and footnotes are clear and concise.

[Laurie Ather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. (Since I’m rewatching the show in anticipation of the movie airing on HBO at the end of May).