Deadwood, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

, United States, and the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Lawrence County
Lawrence County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 8,881 households, and 5,559 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch
Gulch
A gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Occasionally, sudden intense rainfall may produce flash floods in the area of the gulch....

. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census. The city includes the Deadwood Historic District
Deadwood Historic District
Deadwood Historic District is a historic district in Deadwood, South Dakota. Its borders, at least as of designation in 1966, were defined by the city limits....

, a National Historic Landmark District, whose borders may be the city limits.

19th century

The settlement of Deadwood began in the 1870s and has been described as illegal, since it lay within the territory granted to Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

s in the 1868 Treaty of Laramie
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
The Treaty of Fort Laramie was an agreement between the United States and the Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation signed in 1868 at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, guaranteeing to the Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and further...

. The treaty had guaranteed ownership of the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...

 to the Lakota people, and disputes over the Hills are ongoing, having reached the United States Supreme Court on several occasions. However, in 1874, Colonel George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...

 led an expedition into the Hills and announced the discovery of gold on French Creek near present-day Custer
Custer, South Dakota
Custer is a city in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,067 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County.-History:...

, South Dakota. Custer's announcement triggered the Black Hills Gold Rush
Black Hills Gold Rush
The Black Hills Gold Rush took place in Dakota Territory in the United States. It began in 1874 following the Custer Expedition and reached a peak in 1876-77.Rumors and poorly documented reports of gold in the Black Hills go back to the early 19th century...

 and gave rise to the lawless town of Deadwood, which quickly reached a population of around 5,000.

In early 1876, frontiersman Charlie Utter
Charlie Utter
Charles H. Utter was an early figure in the American Wild West, best known as a great friend and companion of Wild Bill Hickok....

 and his brother Steve led a wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...

 to Deadwood containing what were deemed to be needed commodities to bolster business. The wagon train brought gamblers and prostitutes, resulting in the establishment of profitable ventures. Demand for women was high, and the business of prostitution proved to have a good market. Madam Dora DuFran
Dora DuFran
Madam Dora DuFran or Dora Bolshaw was one of the leading and most successful madams in the Old West days of Deadwood, South Dakota.- Biography :...

 would eventually become the most profitable brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...

 owner in Deadwood, closely followed by Madam Mollie Johnson
Mollie Johnson
Deadwood Madam Mollie Johnson was a 19th Century madam. Johnson was born in Alabama, and migrated west due to the demand for working prostitutes. Indications are that she began working that trade in her early teens, around the age of 15 or 16 by some reports...

. Businessman Tom Miller opened the Bella Union Saloon
Bella Union Saloon
The Bella Union was a saloon and theater in Deadwood, South Dakota, which opened on September 10, 1876. The proprietor was Tom Miller, an aggressive businessman who would buy several neighboring properties as well....

 in September of that year.

Another saloon was the Gem Variety Theater
Gem Theater
The Gem Theater was a saloon in Deadwood, South Dakota, owned by Al Swearengen. Swearengen and the Gem are both portrayed in the HBO television show, Deadwood.-Opening:...

, opened April 7, 1877 by Al Swearengen
Al Swearengen
Ellis Albert "Al" Swearengen was a pimp and early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota, running the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, for 22 years, and combining a reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances.Swearengen and his twin brother,...

 who also controlled the opium trade in the town. The saloon was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt in 1879. It burned down again in 1899, causing Swearengen to leave the town.

The town attained notoriety for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...

, and Mount Moriah Cemetery remains the final resting place of Hickok and Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...

, as well as slightly less notable figures such as Seth Bullock. It became known for its wild and almost lawless reputation, during which time murder was common, and punishment for murders not always fair and impartial. The prosecution of the murderer of Hickok, Jack McCall
Jack McCall
John "Jack" McCall , known by the nickname "Crooked Nose Jack or Broken Nose Jack, was the killer of James "Wild Bill" Hickok, shooting him from behind, an act that among admirers of Hickok and students of Hickok's history has given rise to the phrase "the coward Jack McCall."-...

, had to be sent to retrial because of a ruling that his first trial, which resulted in an acquittal, was invalid because Deadwood was an illegal town. This moved the trial to a Dakota Territory court, where he was found guilty and then hanged.

As the economy changed from gold rush to steady mining, Deadwood lost its rough and rowdy character and settled down into a prosperous town. In 1876, a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

 epidemic swept through the camp, with so many falling sick that tents had to be set up to quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....

 them. Also in that year, General George Crook
George Crook
George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...

 pursued the Sioux Indians from the Battle of Little Big Horn on an expedition that ended in Deadwood, and that came to be known as the Horsemeat March
Horsemeat March
The Horsemeat March of 1876, also known as the Starvation March, was a military expedition led by General George Crook in pursuit of a band of Sioux fleeing General Custer's defeat at the Battle of Little Big Horn. In September, after the battle of Slim Buttes, the Sioux burned the grass behind...

. The Homestake Mine
Homestake Mine (South Dakota)
The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002 it was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America, producing more than 40 million ounces of gold. The Homestake Mine is famous in scientific circles for being the site at which the...

 in nearby Lead
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...

 was established in 1877.

A fire on September 26, 1879 devastated the town, destroying over 300 buildings and consuming everything belonging to many inhabitants. Many of the newly impoverished left town to try their luck elsewhere, without the opportunities of rich untapped veins of ore that characterized the town's early days.

A narrow-gauge railroad, the Deadwood Central Railroad
Deadwood Central Railroad
The Deadwood Central Railroad was a gauge narrow gauge railroad in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It was founded by Deadwood, South Dakota resident J.K.P. Miller and his associates in 1888 to serve their mining enterprises in the Black Hills....

, was founded by Deadwood resident J.K.P. Miller and his associates in 1888, in order to serve their mining interests in the Black Hills. The railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington or as the Q, the Burlington Route served a large area, including extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri,...

 in 1893. A portion of the railroad between Deadwood and Lead
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...

 was electrified in 1902 for operation as an interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...

 passenger system, which operated until 1924. The railroad was abandoned in 1930, apart from a portion from Kirk to Fantail Junction, which was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

. The remaining section was abandoned by the successor Burlington Northern Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....

 in 1984.

Some of the other early town residents and frequent visitors included Al Swearengen
Al Swearengen
Ellis Albert "Al" Swearengen was a pimp and early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota, running the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, for 22 years, and combining a reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances.Swearengen and his twin brother,...

, E. B. Farnum
E. B. Farnum
Ethan Bennett Farnum was one of the first residents of Deadwood, South Dakota, who was not a miner or prospector; he was the owner of a general store. Farnum was married to Mary Farnum with three children, Sylvia, age 16, Edward, age 12, and Lyde, age 2 when he arrived in Deadwood...

, Charlie Utter
Charlie Utter
Charles H. Utter was an early figure in the American Wild West, best known as a great friend and companion of Wild Bill Hickok....

, Sol Star
Sol Star
Solomon "Sol" Star was an early resident of the town of Deadwood, South Dakota.Star was born in Austria-Hungary to Jewish parents. When he was ten years of age, his family moved to Ohio. When he grew older he moved to Helena, Montana, where he served as territorial auditor and personal secretary...

, Martha Bullock
Martha Bullock
Martha Eccles Bullock was the wife of Seth Bullock, one of the leading citizens in early Deadwood, South Dakota. She and Bullock were married in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1874....

, A. W. Merrick
A. W. Merrick
A. W. Merrick, from Denver, Colorado, published the first newspaper in Deadwood, South Dakota, the Black Hills Pioneer, along with W. A. Laughlin. The newspaper continues to be published today, but has moved its offices to Spearfish, South Dakota....

, Samuel Fields
Samuel Fields
Samuel Fields was an African-American who claimed to have been a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After 1876, General Fields moved to Deadwood, South Dakota to seek his fortune. There he went by several nicknames—including "Nigger General" and "General...

, Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...

, Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy, the Reverend Henry Weston Smith
Henry Weston Smith
Reverend Henry Weston Smith was an early resident of Deadwood, South Dakota....

, and Wild Bill Hickok
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...

.

20th and 21st centuries

Another major fire in September 1959 came close to destroying the town. About 4500 square miles (11,654.9 km²) were burned and an evacuation order was issued. Nearly 3,600 volunteer and professional firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...

s, including personnel from the Homestake Mine
Homestake Mine (South Dakota)
The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002 it was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America, producing more than 40 million ounces of gold. The Homestake Mine is famous in scientific circles for being the site at which the...

 and Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....

, worked to contain the fire, which resulted in a major regional economic downturn.

The entire town was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...

 in 1961. However, the town underwent additional decline and financial stresses during the next two decades. Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

 bypassed it in 1964 and its brothels were shut down after a 1980 raid. A fire in December 1987 destroyed the historic Syndicate Building and a neighboring structure. The fire spurred the "Deadwood Experiment", in which gambling was tested as a means of revitalizing a city center. At the time, gambling was legal only in the state of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

 and in Atlantic City. Deadwood was the first small community in the U.S. to seek legal gambling revenues as a way of maintaining local historic qualities. Gambling was legalized in Deadwood in 1989 and immediately brought significant new revenues and development. The pressure of development may have an effect on the historical integrity of the landmark district.

Chinatown

The gold rush attracted Chinese immigrants to the area. Their population peaked at 250. A few engaged in mining; most worked in service enterprises. A quarter arose on Main Street, encouraged by the lack of restrictions on foreign property ownership in Dakota Territory and a relatively high level of tolerance. The quarter's residents also included African-Americans and Americans of European extraction. The state sponsored an archeological dig in the area during the 2000s.

Geography

Deadwood is located at 44°22′36"N 103°43′45"W.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 4.5 square miles (11.7 km²) all of it land.

Deadwood has been assigned the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...

 57732 and the FIPS place code 15700.

Recreation

In the summer, there are numerous trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horse back riding. The northern end of the George S. Mickelson Trail
George S. Mickelson Trail
The George S. Mickelson Trail is a rail trail in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.The main trail route extends , from Edgemont to Deadwood, with approximately nine miles of additional branch trails, including a three mile paved link from Custer to the Custer State Park completed in 2007...

 starts in Deadwood and runs south through the Black Hills to Edgemont. Several man made lakes, including Sheridan Lake
Sheridan Lake
Sheridan Lake, a reservoir, is located on Spring Creek in Pennington County, South Dakota. Built over the site of Sheridan, the first county seat, it is owned and operated by the U S Forest Service, and is one of the recreational areas of Black Hills National Forest.Facilities include a marina,...

, provide fishing and swimming. Spearfish Canyon
Spearfish Canyon
Spearfish Canyon is a deep but narrow gorge carved by Spearfish Creek just south of Spearfish, South Dakota in the U.S. It is located on the northern edge of Black Hills National Forest. Many tourists drive through the canyon, drawn to the region due to its wide range of plant and wildlife,...

 to the north has many places to rock climb. In early June the Mickelson Trail Marathon and 5K, as well as accompanying races for children, are held.

During the winter there are two ski areas just a few miles outside of nearby Lead
Lead, South Dakota
Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...

, SD – Terry Peak
Terry Peak
Terry Peak is a mountain and ski area in the Black Hills outside of Lead, South Dakota, USA. It is the third highest point east of the Rockies in the continental United States. Terry Peak was first used as a ski area in 1936 by the Bald Mountain Ski Club when a rope tow was installed...

 and Deer Mountain
Deer Mountain
Mystic Miner Ski Resort is a ski resort, in the Black Hills, just outside of Lead, South Dakota, in the United States. Deer Mountain has a vertical drop of 699 feet. The summit of Deer Mountain is at 6,850 feet.-Ski Area Description:*44 runs*3 lifts...

.

"The Midnight Star" casino in Deadwood is owned by American film actor Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...

. International versions of many of his films' posters line its walls.

Deadwood in fiction

  • Deadwood's history and inhabitants are the foundation of Pete Dexter
    Pete Dexter
    Pete Dexter is an American novelist. He was the recipient of the 1988 National Book Award for Fiction for his novel Paris Trout.-Biography:Dexter was born in Pontiac, Michigan...

    's 1986 novel, Deadwood, in which Charles Utter, Wild Bill Hickok, and Calamity Jane are the central characters.
  • The town's early history forms the basis for the storyline of the HBO TV series named Deadwood
    Deadwood (TV series)
    Deadwood is an American Western drama television series created, produced and largely written by David Milch. The series aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006, spanning three 12-episode seasons. The show is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before...

    .
  • In the Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...

    episode "A Fistful of Datas", the holodeck
    Holodeck
    A holodeck, in the fictional Star Trek universe, is a simulated reality facility located on starships and starbases. The first use of a "holodeck" by that name in the Star Trek universe was in the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint", although a conceptually...

     program that Worf
    Worf
    Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star...

    , his son Alexander, and Deanna Troi
    Deanna Troi
    Commander Deanna Troi is a main character in the science-fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and related TV series and films, portrayed by actress Marina Sirtis. Troi is half-human, half-Betazoid and has the psionic ability to sense emotions. She serves as the ship's counselor...

     participate in takes place in 19th-century Deadwood.
  • The Tales from Deadwood series of novels by Mike Jameson, published by the Berkley Publishing Group, are set in Deadwood and feature Wild Bill Hickok
    Wild Bill Hickok
    James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...

    , Calamity Jane
    Calamity Jane
    Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...

    , Al Swearengen
    Al Swearengen
    Ellis Albert "Al" Swearengen was a pimp and early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota, running the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, for 22 years, and combining a reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances.Swearengen and his twin brother,...

    , and other historical figures.
  • In Flashman and the Redskins
    Flashman and the Redskins
    Flashman and the Redskins is a 1982 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the seventh of the Flashman novels.-Plot introduction:Presented within the frame of the supposed discovery of a trunkful of papers detailing the long life and career of a Victorian officer, this series centres around...

    , the eponymous hero, an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok
    Wild Bill Hickok
    James Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...

    , ends his adventure in Deadwood in 1876, shortly before Hickok's death.
  • The Adam 12 Season 1 episode, "The Long Walk" features an old man who reminisced about his early life in Deadwood.
  • A children's book in the Choose Your Own Adventure
    Choose Your Own Adventure
    Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...

    series is set in Deadwood City

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,380 people, 669 households, and 341 families residing in the city. The population density was 365.4 people per square mile (141.0/km²). There were 817 housing units at an average density of 216.3 per square mile (83.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.87% White, 1.88% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.65% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population. 29.8% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....

, 9.6% Irish, 9.5% English, 9.5% Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 and 8.7% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 669 households out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.9% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,641, and the median income for a family was $37,132. Males had a median income of $28,920 versus $18,807 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,673. About 6.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Radio & TV stations

AM radio
  • KBHB
    KBHB
    KBHB is a radio station broadcasting a farm/news related format. Licensed to Sturgis, South Dakota, USA, it serves the Rapid City area. The station is currently owned by New Rushmore Radio, Inc...

     810
  • KKLS
    KKLS (AM)
    KKLS is a radio station licensed to serve Rapid City, South Dakota. The station is owned by New Rushmore Radio, Inc. It airs an Oldies music format...

     920
  • KDSJ
    KDSJ
    KDSJ is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Deadwood, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Rapid City area. The station is currently owned by Goldrush Broadcasting, Inc....

     980
  • KTOQ
    KTOQ
    KTOQ is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Rapid City, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Rapid City area...

     1340
  • KBFS
    KBFS
    KBFS is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Belle Fourche, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Rapid City area. The station is currently owned by Ultimate Caps, Inc...

     1450


FM radio
  • KRCS
    KRCS
    KRCS is a radio station that airs a Top 40 format in the Rapid City and the Black Hills area. The station is owned by New Rushmore Radio, Inc...

     93.1
  • KKMK
    KKMK
    KKMK is a radio station in Rapid City, South Dakota, airing a hot adult contemporary format.-Ownership:In May 1999, Triad Broadcasting reached a deal to acquire this station from Brothers Jim and Tom Instad as part of a twelve-station deal valued at a reported $37.8 million.In July 2006, Schurz...

     93.9
  • KSQY
    KSQY
    KSQY is a radio station broadcasting a mainstream rock format. The station known as "K-SKY" is licensed to Deadwood, South Dakota and serves the Rapid City listening area...

     95.1
  • KZZI
    KZZI
    KZZI is a radio station licensed to serve Belle Fourche, South Dakota, serving the Rapid City, South Dakota market. The station is owned by Duhamel Broadcasting and licensed to Western South Dakota Broadcasting, LLC...

     95.9
  • KOUT
    KOUT
    KOUT is a radio station licensed to serve Rapid City, South Dakota. The station is owned by New Rushmore Radio, Inc. It airs a country music format....

     98.7
  • KFXS
    KFXS
    KFXS is a radio station licensed to serve Rapid City, South Dakota. The station is owned by New Rushmore Radio, Inc...

     100.3
  • KDDX
    KDDX
    -External links:*...

     101.1
  • KFMH
    KFMH
    -External links:*...

     101.9
  • KYDT
    KYDT
    KYDT is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Pine Haven, Wyoming, USA, and serves the Sundance, Wyoming and Belle Fourche, South Dakota region of the Black Hills. It is currently owned by Ultimate Caps, Inc. and features programing from ESPN Radio, Jones Radio...

     103.1
  • KIQK
    KIQK
    KIQK is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Rapid City, South Dakota, USA, the station serves the Rapid City area. The station is currently owned by Haugo Broadcasting, Inc.-History:...

     104.1


Television
  • KOTA-TV
    KOTA-TV
    KOTA-TV, channel 3, is an ABC television affiliate based in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA. The station is owned by the Duhamel family of Rapid City...

     Ch. 3 ABC
    American Broadcasting Company
    The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

  • KCLO Ch. 16 CBS
    CBS
    CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

  • KNBN
    KNBN
    KNBN, channel 21, is the NBC affiliate in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is owned by Rapid Broadcasting, and is also the sister station to KWBH-LP...

     Ch. 21 NBC
    NBC
    The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

  • KBHE-TV Ch. 26 PBS
    Public Broadcasting Service
    The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

  • KEVN-TV
    KEVN-TV
    KEVN-TV, channel 7, is a Fox television station affiliate based in Rapid City, South Dakota. It also operates a satellite in Lead, South Dakota, KIVV-TV , which can also be seen over the air in Rapid City...

     Ch.7 Fox
    Fox Broadcasting Company
    Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...



Notable natives

  • Philip S. Van Cise
    Philip S. Van Cise
    Philip S. Van Cise , was a U.S. Army colonel, crimebusting district attorney, and private practice lawyer in Denver, Colorado...

    , (1884–1969), Colorado
    Colorado
    Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

     district attorney
  • Jim Scott, (1888–1957), played with the Chicago White Sox
    Chicago White Sox
    The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...

  • Ward Lambert
    Ward Lambert
    Ward Louis "Piggy" Lambert was an American college men's basketball coach. He was born in Deadwood, South Dakota. In 1890, Lambert and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana. He played basketball at Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College, both under coach Ralph Jones, who himself...

    , (1888–1958), college basketball coach, mostly with Purdue University
    Purdue University
    Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...

  • William H. Parker (1905–1966), former Chief of Police of Los Angeles, California
  • Angelo Rizzuto
    Angelo Rizzuto
    Angelo A. Rizzuto was an American photographer who worked in Manhattan from 1952 until his death. His street photography opus of 60,000 images lay in file cabinets unviewed until 2001....

     (1906–67), photographer
  • Carole Hillard
    Carole Hillard
    Carole Hillard was the first woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota.-Personal:Hillard was born in Deadwood, South Dakota, August 14, 1936 to Edward Rykema and Vernell Peterson; she was one of three daughters born to them. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 1957 with an...

    , (1936–2007), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
    Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
    The Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of South Dakota.He or she is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of South Dakota state government and also serves as presiding officer of the South Dakota Senate...

     1995–2003
  • Dorothy Provine
    Dorothy Provine
    Dorothy Michelle Provine was an American singer, dancer, actress, and comedienne.-Career:Provine was born in Deadwood, South Dakota, to Virgil and Kathleen Provine. She attended the University of Washington, where she majored in drama. In Washington she handed out prizes for a local television...

     (1937–2010), actress and dancer
  • Cris Williamson
    Cris Williamson
    Cris Williamson is an American feminist singer-songwriter, who achieved fame as a recording artist, and who was a pioneer as a visible lesbian political activist, during a time when few who were not connected to the Lesbian community were aware of Gay and Lesbian issues...

     (b. 1947), singer/musician
  • Amy Hill
    Amy Hill
    Amy Marie Hill is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Mrs. DePaulo in That's So Raven, Mrs. Kwan in The Cat in the Hat, the Kylie Minogue-inspired singer, Penny Candy from The Puzzle Place, and the voice of Jasmine Lee Amy Marie Hill (born May 9, 1953) is an American...

     (b. 1953), Japanese-Finnish-American actress

External links

  • Deadwood Chamber of Commerce
  • Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission
  • Deadwood Digital Media Archive (creative commons
    Creative Commons
    Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...

    -licensed photos, laser scans, panoramas), data from a DHPC/CyArk
    CyArk
    CyArk is a 501 nonprofit organization located in Oakland, California, United States. The company's website refers to it as a "digital archive of the world’s heritage sites for preservation and education"...

    partnership
  • Adams House and Museum
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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