Deadwood is a former gold-rush town, preserved as a National Historic Landmark, where the main street's saloons and storefronts still sit largely as they did in the 1870s-1880s boom years. Its identity is built on the era of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, both buried in the town's Mount Moriah Cemetery, and on the gambling legalized in the 1980s to fund its restoration, which now fills many of those historic buildings with casino floors alongside museums and shops. A day here is a mix of walking the historic downtown, visiting a museum or two, and optionally gambling, rather than an outdoor day.
| Distance | 45 miles (72 km) from Rapid City |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 40 minutes from Rapid City |
| Getting there | Car (40 min from Rapid City via I-90 and US-14A); Jefferson Lines bus from Rapid City ($15–25 USD) |
| Address | Deadwood, SD 57732 |
How to get there
- Car from Rapid City (40 min)
- Jefferson Lines bus: jeffersonlines.com; $15–25 USD one-way
Location
Deadwood, SD 57732
44.3764, -103.7296 View on map
Highlights
- Mount Moriah Cemetery - hillside burial ground with the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane and a view over town
- Adams Museum - the town's core history museum, covering the gold rush and Deadwood's early decades
- Historic Main Street - the row of preserved 19th-century storefronts, now housing casinos, bars and shops
- Days of '76 Museum - focused on the town's rodeo history and stagecoach and wagon collections
- Mt. Moriah's 'Boot Hill' section and the Trolley tour - a low-effort way to get the town's history without a guidebook