As the calendar rolled into July, we moved from Rapid City to the northern section of the Black Hills and setup camp in Spearfish, SD, eight miles north of Deadwood. I’ve always enjoyed frontier history and have been looking forward to exploring Deadwood and the surrounding area.
Deadwood sprung from a gulch in the Black Hills in 1876 when prospectors discovered gold in the hills. Deadwood attracted thousands looking to make a quick buck mining or servicing the needs of miners. Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane called Deadwood home. Just weeks after arriving in Deadwood, Hickok fell victim to an assassin’s bullet in the back of his head while playing poker in a Deadwood saloon. He is buried on Deadwood’s Boot Hill, now known as Mt. Moriah cemetery. Some 25 years later, townspeople buried Calamity Jane next to him. That’s a small taste of why the Government declared the town of Deadwood a National Historic Landmark in 1961.
We wasted no time in heading to Deadwood after we arrived in Spearfish. Our primary objective was to get a bite to eat and get the lay of the land. The restaurant we picked out was upstairs in a casino. Every business in Deadwood seems to be a casino or have a casino on premises. From the beginning, the kids soured on Deadwood. L called it “creepy” because a lot of people were smoking, drinking, gambling, or just standing around. You’ll have to pardon our kids, they are not used to hanging around people having fun.
We had a good meal at Maverick’s and hit the streets of Deadwood to explore. But the scantily clad mannequins in the upstairs windows of many storefronts failed to curb the kids’ creepy factor and we headed back to the car. I managed to get this shot in front of Bullock’s hotel before departing.
Little did I know, this would be the last I would see of Main St., Deadwood. When we hopped in the car, I helpfully suggested that we go to Mt. Moriah. “What’s there?”, the kids asked. “A cemetery,” I responded. “NO!” came the shout from the backseat. And we headed home. On the way, L asked where we were going the next day. “DEVILS Tower,” I said with a hint of repressed joy. I could feel the angst emanating from the backseat.
That evening, we watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind in preparation for our trip to Devils Tower. With the iconic five-tone motif of Close Encounters ringing in our heads, we channeled Richard Dreyfus and crossed into Wyoming the following morning searching for the Tower. Though somewhat obscured by a smoky haze caused by wildfires in Canada, the Tower impressed, even from a distance, as we approached from the south.
As it turns out, we all enjoyed Devils Tower (despite the omission of a possessive apostrophe from its official name). Teddy Roosevelt made Devils Tower the nation’s first National Monument in 1906. I think it is the most impressive thing we have seen thus far. We hiked the loop trail around the tower (with a lengthy detour in the boulder field).
By the time we finished the hike, my neck hurt from constantly looking up in amazement. And, as if the tower itself was not enough, several groups of climbers provided on-tower entertainment.
The next day, we celebrated an early 4th of July at the Black Hills Rodeo Roundup in Belle Fourche, SD. For those not familiar with this town or the French language, I’ll save you the embarrassment and let you know that Fourche is not pronounced “Four-shay” or even “Fork” (despite the French translation). It is “Foosh.” Fortunately, I heard the correct pronunciation on the radio before revealing the limitations of my public school education.
There is nothing like celebrating the 4th in small-town America. The rodeo was patriotic and entertaining. The fireworks were great. The sorry food and post-fireworks traffic jam did not damper our experience…much.
We closed out our stay in South Dakota with a trip through Spearfish Canyon, a stop at Bridal Veil Falls, and a hike to Roughlock Falls.
So you did make it to the cemetery! Ok. Time to go play with my mashed potatoes.
Despite having just watched the film, M3 had to clue me in to your potato reference. It is a wonder I can remember anything to write about.
Yup, I would have wanted the full Deadwood experience. And yes, mashed potatoes.
I’m with L and M on Deadwood, but Devils Tower is fantastic–glad you liked it, and I wish there was a way to get to the top without climbing!
I was thinking of setting a goal to come back and climb the thing. There is an outfit that will train you to do it in a few days. Anybody in?
looks like you are making great progress and hitting some awesome landmarks! Enjoying the updates!
Thanks, Sue!