Ever since I watched the HBO series Deadwood (Deadwood (TV series) - Wikipedia) from 2004 through 2006, I have always wanted to go there and experience some of “the old West”. Yep, definitely naïve on my part. However, the city of Deadwood (Deadwood Home Page | City of Deadwood South Dakota) does have its own charms. Even with the main attraction of gambling, there are a lot of things to do in Deadwood South Dakota.
In my experience, Deadwood’s charm is its people, very nice, welcoming, hard-working people who continue to adapt to a new lifestyle.
We have seen this type of adapting in several small mining communities in the mountains of Colorado – Cripple Creek, Central City, and Blackhawk (Colorado Casinos: Cripple Creek, Central City & Black Hawk | Colorado.com).
Like Deadwood and driven by developers and gambling companies who saw a need to boost dying mountain towns, these companies had referendums placed on statewide ballots so that residents of Colorado could vote to allow gambling. These ballot measures passed due to tremendous marketing campaigns and “small stakes” gambling became legal. In every case I have seen, the addition of gambling to these towns has brought new life and new opportunities, with quite a lot of changes for the residents. This is where the adapting comes in.
A roughly 4-hour straight shot north on Route 85 from Northern Colorado brings you to Deadwood South Dakota.
The old Main Street, where the old buildings, bars, and gambling houses are interspersed among T-shirt and souvenir shops and western wear stores, reminds me a bit of Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tennessee (see a previous blog: Things to Do in Nashville? (wanderlustencounters.com).
Deadwood is in a central location for this road trip, so we decided to do day trips and see Mount Rushmore (Mount Rushmore - Wikipedia) and Devil’s Tower (Devils Tower - Wikipedia), as well as a few nearby towns, Sturgis, Spearfish, Lead, and Rapid City.
Actually, we drove through Sturgis one week before the famous Motorcycle Rally and everywhere we looked there was preparation going on, from the stores and bars to the large “resorts” to the white streetside vendor tents.
Turns out, our three days in Deadwood were at a perfect time, one day before the regional Days of ‘76 Rodeo in Deadwood (Days of '76 Rodeo | Deadwood, SD | Home (daysof76.com)) and one week before the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 2024 - Concerts, Music Festival).
Mount Rushmore (Mount Rushmore National Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)) was glorious and the gleam off the white rock carvings on the mountain almost caused me to squint.
It was majestic and I felt a huge sense of pride and patriotism in the United States of America.
We were there on a hot, sunny day with temps over 95 degrees. We walked up the slope from the very nice, though confusing covered parking structures. Although Mount Rushmore is dog friendly, the pups stayed in the car, in the shade. They probably wouldn’t have liked all the people, the heat, and the hot pavement. Also, dogs are not allowed into the (air conditioned) visitors center or up near the viewing area.
After returning from Mount Rushmore, we decided to take the dogs on a walk on the roughly 108-mile George S. Mickelson Trail. The trail is in great shape and is part of the Rails-to-Trails system (Rails to Trails Conservancy: Building A Nation Connected By Trails | Rails to Trails Conservancy) across the country.
Due to its easy grades and excellent trail conditions, bikers (Mickelson Trail (bikemickelson.com)) and hikers (George S. Mickelson Trail | South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks (sd.gov)) find this a beautiful trail, often near streams and in stands of trees. Although we only walked a few miles, the dogs loved it.
Late afternoon we headed into historic Deadwood for some gambling and dinner. The dogs forgot their gambling money, so they decided to stay in the rooms. Although the hotel we stayed at, the Travelodge by Wyndham (TRAVELODGE INN & SUITES BY WYNDHAM DEADWOOD - Updated 2024 Prices & Hotel Reviews (SD) (tripadvisor.com)), was very basic, it was dog friendly. The property and room were clean, and the beds were very comfortable. There is also a separate walking area for the dogs.
A few pictures of Deadwood and its history
After sampling a few of the casinos, we liked the Saloon No. 10 casino (Saloon#10 Deadwood Party HQ - Saloon #10 (saloon10.com)) and the Gold Dust casino (Gold Dust Casino & Hotel (golddustdeadwood.com)).
While talking with a local at the Saloon No. 10 bar, he told us that the restaurant there, the Deadwood Social Club (Deadwood Social Club - Saloon#10 Deadwood Party HQ (saloon10.com)), was probably one of the best in town, along with the Legends Steakhouse, at the Franklin Hotel (Legends Steakhouse - Silverado Franklin). And he was right! Our meal at the Deadwood Social Club was excellent (I had a Caesar Salad, Buffalo Tenderloin, and grilled Sweet Potatoes).
The next day we had a longer drive to see Devil’s Tower, in Wyoming (remember the movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” - Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Wikipedia). Devil’s Tower (Devils Tower National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)) is essentially a huge lava neck from a prehistoric eruption and centuries of erosion.
Views of Devils Tower and the information sign at the base area
Unlike the beautiful walkway, guided tours, and awesome visitor’s center at Mount Rushmore, Devils Tower is essentially a National Park-like parking lot, restrooms, and gravel hiking trails. The dogs liked it, though they had to stay leashed.
On the return drive to Deadwood, we drove to Lead to see the Homestake Mine (Homestake Mine (South Dakota) - Wikipedia). Although it ceased operation in 2001 after about 125 years of operation, there are still overlooks to see into the large open pit mining area. The mining operation began as an open pit and eventually went underground to “chase” the gold veins. The town of Lead’s historical society has an interesting and informative description of the mining environment over that time (Homestake Gold Mine - Lead Historic Preservation).
Upon returning to Deadwood, we decided that this was “T-shirt Day” to buy gifts and T-shirts in Deadwood. Since the dogs don’t wear T-shirts, they again decided to stay in the rooms. So, several T-shirts and a couple of refrigerator magnets later, we went to do some gambling and then have dinner at the Legends Steakhouse, at the Franklin Hotel.
After wins at the tables and machines, we headed to the Franklin Hotel (Legends Steakhouse - Silverado Franklin). Since we didn’t have a reservation, we ate at the bar. I highly recommend eating at the bar. The bartender was great and made an already incredible meal that much better. My Caesar Salad and Elk Gnocchi were wonderful. Several drinks later we decided to rescue the pups.
Next morning we checked out of our rooms, loaded the car and headed out. Our drive back to Greeley took us through the Black Hills of South Dakota (Welcome to the Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota | Black Hills & Badlands of South Dakota (blackhillsbadlands.com)) and the Sand Hills of western Nebraska (The Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway | Nebraska Highway 2), instead of taking Highway 85 south down the eastern edge of Wyoming (the route we took to Deadwood).
I highly recommend Deadwood as a fun 2- or 3-day summer destination. A lot of fun and a lot of history, and the people of Deadwood are great. You will find a lot of things to do in Deadwood South Dakota. Deadwood is not just for gambling.
A great road trip!
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