We got up the next morning and had a light breakfast joining Emil and Angelina for coffee. We then broke camp with Emil and Angelina going to Yellowstone and we going the opposite direction to Deadwood, South Dakota. Emil said to make sure we see the chair where Wild Bill Hickok got killed and to make sure we see the Corn Palace in Mitchell. We told them that we would keep it in mind and showed them a map of Yellowstone and showed them that they would save time if they entered from the west entrance of the park. We said our good byes and got ready to get on the road again.
We picked up highway 90 and followed it across Montana. The planes were dotted by large ranch houses that were more like estates than what you would see out in the range. We continued to see the line of trees where the river flowed at the base of the hills. Near the border to South Dakota a large sign pointed out the site of Custer's Last Stand near the Little Big Horn River. Apparently, Sitting Bull had formed a Sun Dance alliance between the Sioux and the northern Cheyenne. He had a dream that he saw "soldiers falling on his camp like grasshoppers from the sky." A scout had warned Custer about the great size of Indians waiting to attack, but Custer felt he could surprise them while they were in their tepees and then they would scatter and run away. He underestimated that the Indians would stay and fight. You might say the Indians had a good cause to defend their land. The American Government made the Treaty of Laramie in 1868 with the Lakota Indians that said they could keep the land in the Black Hills as they believed they were sacred. Then prospectors found gold in the Black Hills and the Government went back on its word, and decided to put all the Indians in a reservation in Idaho. So the Indians grouped together and declared war.
We continued to South Dakota and the Black Hills. After passing the border we noticed the South Dakota welcome center with a monument of a Tepee made of tall concrete pillars. Inside the room was decorated with many panels about the history of the area and brochures about the Deadwood and the Black Hills. We picked these up and looked for interesting sites to see when we reached Deadwood.
As we read more of the brochures John got excited about visiting this frontier town. This was the site of many Westerns that we grew up watching on our little black and white T.V. sets. In fact they still had some of the sets they used in these westerns set up at the entrance of Main Street. We read that Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane lived here. The town of Deadwood sponsored re-enactments to draw tourist to the town. John read that there were to be reenactments of the shooting of Wild Bill Hickok, shoot outs in the street, and a reenactment of the trial for Jack McCall who shot Hickok while he was playing poker. Life in this lawless town seemed to hold a special interest to John and I would venture to think he might have lived here in another life.
We had no idea where our Koa campground was as we neared the town of Deadwood, so we gave the address to the Garmin Girl and listened to her directions. She led us right through Main streets past the movie sets and on to the saloons and court house, hotel, and museum. We continued out of town up a road leading to a mountain, and then she suddenly said turn right to your address. Sure enough we saw the familiar Koa sign and turned in. After introducing ourselves we went to our campsite that was situated on a hill overlooking the pool. It was a pretty flat space below a cabin that was not rented. There was plenty of privacy, close to the bathroom, and only a little climb.
We set up our camp and went down to join the swimmers below. There were three families from Toronto, Canada who were traveling the west. Everyone was excited about going into town using the Koa shuttle and we signed up to go as well. We got dressed and met the shuttle leaving at five in the afternoon. This would give us time to get to see the major sights and some of the re-enactments that were scheduled that evening, and find a restaurant for a steak dinner.
We looked for the Number 10 saloon where the first re-enactment of Wild Bill Hickok playing poker. It turned out to be more of a story telling rather than a re-enactment as the two actors took turns telling the story of that fateful night. Apparently, Wild Bill usually sat with his back to the back wall but today he sat on a chair with his back to the door. He repeatedly asked the player across from him to change places with him, but he refused. Well into the game, Jack McCall walks in the door and aims his handgun at Wild Bill's head and down he goes holding a pair of aces and a pair of 8 in his hand. This hand will forever be known as the dead man's hand. The actual chair he sat in on that fateful day is right above the entrance door just like Emil told us.
goodie-goodie girl and didn't meet with the hard edge, drinking, tobacco smoking, swearing Calamity Jane described in her bio, but she sure could sing and that's why she probably got the part.
We got our pictures taken with the actors and then went to see the rest of the town. We found an old saloon where we took more pictures and found a great restaurant where we would have dinner later. For now we had to go to the White Hotel and wait for the re-enactment of the gunslinger shoot out to be performed out in the middle of the street. We sat on the curve near a family from the Netherlands who had seen many westerns on television. They were just as excited as us waiting for the big event to happen. We knew that it would be a class act as we saw the actors get wired for sound and the large speakers were set up so everyone could hear what was going on.
The main actor who looked like Polonius dressed in Western wear taking a break from Shakespeare Theater Troop. In his finest drawl he explained about the notorious reputation Deadwood had as a lawless town filled with miners, ladies of the night (prostitutes), gamblers and sharpshooters eager to show how fast they could draw their guns. He had a little bag that he would shake every once in a while during his overture and that kept us wondering if he had gold pieces in his bag. They were gold all right but they were stars. As he held one up he said he needed some deputies and went around to all the children and gave them a star. When he came to us, John said he qualified to be a deputy. But he was passed right by until he kept yelling that he indeed wanted to be one. Finally, "Polonius" turned and threw him a star that caught and proudly put on his shirt. After he had run out of stars, he gathered the deputes together and had them raise their right hand and say the pledge: "I will promise to up hold the laws of Deadwood, so help me God." Then he sent all the little children back to their parents all admiring their stars.
Now the show was ready to begin and I looked at my camera and saw that the battery had gone dead. Well, use your imagination as I tell you how it went. Three gunslingers rounded the corner and were walking and bragging holding each other up having just left the saloon with a bit more drink than they needed. They were bragging how they could hit a whisky bottle on a pole fifty feet away. Although they were wired for sound, it was hard to understand them as they slurred their speech. Around the corner down the street another gunslinger stood and yelled the name of the bragger, Sony McCoy. The other two braggers took off and Sony had to face the opponent alone. Now this challenger was not standing all too steady either, but he was bold enough to challenge Sony McCoy the hottest shot in town. They both held their hands hovering over their guns as "Sheriff Polonius" counted to three. The real blanks were shot startling the crowd and Sony went down. Sony commenced to do a dying scene that lasted about five minutes that would have impressed Shakespeare himself. Finally, when he could jerk no more, his two buddies dragged old Sony behind the building while the Sheriff took the challenger off in handcuffs.
After all was done the actors came out for their bows and to have their pictures taken with the audience. We were told that they do this charade every day of the week and that's what keeps the people coming to Deadwood. The last re-enactment was to be the trial of Jack McCall who killed Wild Bill Hickok with plenty of bi-standers at Saloon N. 10. This trial would take place in the courthouse at 8:00 P.M. We were hoping to catch that one too, as we heard it was like the Rocky Horror Show where the audience takes part as the jury and the people in the court house get to say what they think. We thought we would go and have dinner and hopefully finish in time for the trial.
We went to the Deadwood Saloon for dinner and we were told that it would be about fifteen minutes before they could seat us so we took pictures in the lobby and downstairs at the bar. We were finally told that our table was ready and we ordered the best prime rib with all the trimmings topped with a bottle of fine wine. John was still wearing his star and the waitress referred to him as the "Deputy Sheriff John" and gave us extra bread and large salads.
Well, by the time we were done, the trial was over and everyone was filing out of the courthouse. They were all disappointed though they knew that McCall would be acquitted. Some who were following the trial of Casey Anthony Trial in Florida said that she should not have been acquitted either. As history put it, McCall was acquitted because Deadwood was not a legitimate town. The Black Hills territory legally still belonged to the Lakota-Sioux Indians. So no legal decision could be made in the town. The authorities caught up with McCall in the Dakota Territory and put him on trial again and this time they convicted him and hung him for the murder of Wild Bill Hickok.
We all walked to the bus stop and got into our bus and headed for camp. That evening everything was peaceful and quiet, a contrast to the bustling town below. It was a lovely cool night, and we could hear the soft rain tapping on the rain shield of our tent. It didn't take long to be in dreamland…
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