Deadwood is a small town on in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The city is infamous for its history as a mining town during the days of the Gold Rush. Prospectors flocked to the area in the 1870’s hoping to make their fortunes panning and mining for gold.

The town is famous for some of the most well known outlaws of the Wild West period. Wild Bill Hicock was one of the best known. As history says, he was gunned down as he sat in the Saloon #10 with his back to the door. The hand he held when he was shot, Ace’s and Eight’s, is to this day known as the dead man’s hand. Calamity Jane was one of the most famous of the female outlaws. As legend has it, she claimed to be able to out-drink and out-spit any man around.

The town that was known for its history and culture, however, began to fall into ruin. During the 1980’s many of the shops in Deadwood were boarded up and discarded—a product of neglect and changing times.

In the 1990’s, the fate of this once famous town was changed when the State of South Dakota legalized low-stakes gambling in Deadwood. Today, this town of 1300 full-time residents and the economy of the area are thriving thanks to the tens of thousands of visitors each year that come in order to take a step back into the past. The town that was once filled with boarded up buildings is not decorated with Victorian-era facades, brick-paved streets, and replica trolleys that carry visitors around the town.

For anyone who wants to be able to experience the fun and excitement of gambling, along with the ability to vacation in first-class hotels, and learn about the history of the Gold Rush days, then visiting Deadwood is just the ticket. While the town may be small, what it offers to the visitor is anything but small.