Wild West legends, male and female, come alive in Deadwood

Atop Moriah’s winding path through tall Ponderosa pines, his cairn commanding a view of South Dakota’s Black Hills, is Seth Bullock. After Hickok’s murder he was appointed Deadwood sheriff, hence the bullets laid on his headstone with tiny American flags. But the cemetery office points out his Canadian roots to us, born near present-day Windsor with a bit of time in Etobicoke, before we visited the Main Street hotel that bears his name. His eventful civic and business life here included a feud with bordello owner Al Swearengen and close friendship with U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt before Bullock died at 80.
We’ve come as big fans of the HBO series, based on the muddy mining town’s boom and its real characters. Moriah was just the start of our Black Hills Adventure Tour, a full sightseeing day of the wild west and wildlife from our hotel in Rapid City, through scenic Spearfish Canyon, the modern mining town of Lead and Deadwood itself.

The naked truth is no madam or working girls are to be seen on this 45-minute guided walk through the original Shasta Rooms, later renamed The Beige Door, last of legalized prostitution here.
From the earliest days of conducting business behind screens in saloons and hardware stores, these houses evolved. There’s a pre-tour proviso about salty lexicon, ribald stories and a reminder that sex workers helped form a narrative in Western movies, TV shows and Deadwood’s own story.
Each room depicts the century of the world’s oldest profession through the Swinging ’60s and ’70s before the FBI shut the Door due to criminal influences.
The ladies’ period clothing, or lack of it, is displayed on big brass beds with frilly duvets, amid period furniture, artwork and artifacts such as whips, chains and a big alarm clock used to end the sessions. Regulars could include politicians, lawmen, military from nearby Ellsworth air base and hunters, who might barter a deer if low on cash. A worker might have up to 20 clients a night, while one was paid $300 a whole evening just to listen while a history buff talked about the Civil War.
The biggest takeaway is personal stories, some women working while raising kids in town, one that came to Deadwood each summer to earn tuition for a psychology degree. While the madam used to sit behind a grated screen to vet customers and discuss fees and services, her modern office is part of the tour.
The Beige Door was so ingrained in town life it was listed in the phone book, sponsored kids’ baseball teams and handed out treats and UNICEF money on Halloween.

As in the series, majestic pines surround the town, which has done well to preserve its late 19th century vibe. Historic saloons mix with modern casinos, shops, fine dining and sports wagering.
The street is cleared daily for kid-friendly cowboy theatre or entertainment in open-air Outlaw Square. Faithfully restored No. 10 Saloon is also a museum, where we downed a whiskey while examining Hickok’s purported “death chair” and a rogues’ gallery that includes the only known picture of his assassin Jack McCall in its original broken frame.

The Wild Bill Bar across Main was the actual site of the shooting, featuring Cy Tolliver’s costume that actor Powers Boothe wore in the show. Both venues have stage recreations of McCall’s trial.
Underground riches are still a part of this region and the geo-geek in you will enjoy a side trip down the road to Lead, where the first gold strikes were made.
Home of the Black Hills Mining Museum, it’s where the Hearst family paid $70,000 for the two-hectare Homestake claim in 1876. It became the world’s oldest, largest and deepest (2,400 metres) gold mine, giving up 1.2 million kilograms until closing in 2002.

The vast remnants of its pit are now part of the Sanford Underground Research Facility, above ground telling the story of mining, while below hosting experiments in physics, biology, cosmic ray shielding and geo-thermal energy.
A bit northwest of Deadwood near the Wyoming border is one of South Dakota’s year-round hiking, biking, golfing and wildlife splendours. ATVs can be rented, too.
As you’re captivated by the 30-km Scenic Byway’s limestone cliffs and tumbling waters of Spearfish Falls, Bridal Falls, Roughlock Falls, Iron Creek and its adjoining lake campsite, mountain goats are sizing you up, too. This area is most popular during autumn foliage and scenes from Dances with Wolves were filmed nearby.

The vibrant town of Spearfish includes a different close-up with nature, the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, including water fowl and the largest collection of fisheries artifacts in the U.S. Spearfish is also home to the High Plains Western Heritage Center.
If making the trip on motorcycle or rental, the Black Hills are hog heaven with many rallies and the Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame in Sturgis, just east of Deadwood.
Deadwood is a day or two drive from cities in the southern Canadian Prairies, while flights from Toronto connect through Chicago and Minneapolis.
Black Hills Adventure Tours has many day-long excursions and outdoor activities leaving from Rapid City throughout the area, including the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials. For daily activities check deadwoodhistory.com.
[email protected]