Deadwood, South Dakota
GLO record of the Week for the Week of January 19, 2020
This week's interesting General Land Office record features a survey plat that displays the city of Deadwood, South Dakota. The origin of Deadwood simply began with a gold rush in the Black Hills mountain range. By 1876, hopeful miners moved into the northern region of the Black Hills and found themselves in a gulch with an abundance of dead trees and a creek that would yield gold. Deadwood was founded in a day and the rest is history!
Deadwood in 1876
Deadwood was a lawless town with its own set of rules, and thus attracted outlaws, miners, gamblers, and others that sought out fortune and fame.
The GLO survey plat, depicted below, has the Deadwood Townsite depicted in Sections 22, 23, 26, and 27, and was accepted by Antoinette Funk on January 21, 1937
Deadwood, South Dakota Survey Plat
This GLO plat below shows the many mining claims in and around the Deadwood townsite.
Deadwood Mining Plat
Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane
Ostensibly, Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are Deadwood's most famous residents. Wild Bill was a famous frontiersman. He is known for being a poker gambler and gunslinger, and he was murdered playing poker at a saloon in Deadwood holding what is known as the "dead man's hand" which is two aces and two eights.
Martha Jane Canary, also known as "Calamity Jane," was a professional scout. She was known to many as Wild Bill's acquaintance. Despite being strong and having fearsome personality, she was reported to be very compassionate to the sick and needy. She even nursed victims of a smallpox outbreak in Deadwood.
City Hall in Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota is officially a National Historic Landmark District because of its notorious history and classic architecture that highlights the frontier and Gold Rush. It does not have a large population today, but it brings in a large amount of tourism from around the country to enjoy a snapshot of America's frontier.
We hope you enjoyed this Record of the Week! For more story maps, visit the BLM Record of the Week shortlist , and for more information on Deadwood, check out our sources below:
