The Coolest Small Town in America

My Favourite Vacation Destination

My Favorite Vacation Destination

(All photos are my own from various trips to Deadwood)

A few days ago, I was having a conversation with my physical therapist. I just recently started seeing him for numbness that I’ve had in my left hand and arm for years. Anyway, he asked me where my favorite place to vacation was.

After weighing my options (I have been to almost every state, Canada, Germany, France, and England) I decided on a not-so-likely location. The place that I chose is Deadwood, South Dakota. The last time I was there (back in 2017), Deadwood was home to only about 1200 people. Not a big place at all!

So why do you love going there? The therapist asked.

I answered him by telling him a story.

Every year when I was growing up, on August 02, my dad would haul out a folder filled with papers and pictures. We would spend hours sifting through them learning about some guy who had been shot in the back of the head at a saloon in some town called Deadwood on that date.

The guy? Turns out it was my 3rd cousin on my dad’s side and his name was Wild Bill Hickok. So yeah, I have a pretty good reason for liking Deadwood.

Wild Bill had been a U.S. Marshal back in the late 1800s, but after some rather unfortunate mishaps, quit the Marshals and decided to try to make a living as a card player. His exploits eventually led him to the (at that time) bustling town of Deadwood. Where he ended up being killed by Jack McCall (Crooked Nose Jack).

During the summer, local actors reenact various historical times that have happened in Deadwood three times a day, six days a week (They take Sundays off). You can enjoy these performances right on Deadwood’s Historic Main Street absolutely FREE!

“Wild Bill” and one of the other actors

The the basement of Saloon № 10

2022 Schedule of Events (To see the current schedule, visit Deadwood Alive)

• 1:45PM “Pre-spectacle Tomfoolery” — Wild Bill Bar / Celebrity Hotel
• 2:00PM SHOOTOUT — “The Strange Tale of David Lunt” — Wild Bill Bar / Celebrity Hotel
• 2:30PM “A Rootin’ Tootin’ Card Game for Kids” — Mustang Sally’s
• 2:30PM “Gold, Guns and Grubstake” — (the evolution of pre-1899 firearms) — Gold Street Courtyard
• 3:30PM “Dr. Stan Dupp’s Travelin’ Medicine Show” — Gold Street Courtyard
• 4:00PM SHOOTOUT — “Showdown on Gold Street” — Big Dipper / Saloon 10
• 4:30PM “Hangin’ with the Shootists” — Meet the gunslingers, ask questions and get their autographs — Gold
• Street Courtyard
• 5:00PM “Deep Dive at 5” — Take a deeper look at Deadwood’s history — Gold Street Courtyard
• 5:45PM “More Tomfoolery” — Outlaw Square / Franklin Hotel
• 6:00PM SHOOTOUT — “The Boone May/Prescott Web Altercation” — Outlaw Square / Franklin Hotel
• 6:20PM “Deadwood Nuggets” — Hear true stories and maybe even some music from “Deadwood’s days gone by” — Gold Street Courtyard
• 7:35PM Capture of Jack McCall — in front of the Saloon №10
• 7:50PM “Even More Tomfoolery” — Franklin Hotel Theatre
• 8:00PM TRIAL OF JACK McCALL — Franklin Hotel Theatre

The stairs leading down to the spot Wild Bill was shot

… and you can’t forget the shooting of “Wild Bill” (James Butler) Hickok, held inside Saloon № 10.

The Original spot

Actors taking a break before the shot

In addition to all of this, there are also shops (yes, it is a tourist attraction), historic monuments, casinos, gold mines to explore, and a whole lot more!

Hickok’s Hotel and Gaming in Deadwood, South Dakota

Inside the Casino

This town is packed with history!

THAT is why I chose Deadwood, South Dakota as my favorite vacation destination.