Although a small town, it is rich in history. Deadwood (Lakota: Owáyasuta; "To approve or confirm things") is a city in and county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. Deadwood is a famous western town in South Dakota that gained notoriety for several reasons. Grants ranging from $1,000 to $25,000 given to projects that retain, restore, or rehabilitate historic buildings, structures, and archaeology sites in South Dakota … Deadwood was established in 1876 by a gold rush in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory. May 21, 1980 – Final raid and permanent closure of prostitution establishments in Deadwood. Here are some true events and persons which made Deadwood, South Dakota, one of the legendary towns of the days of America’s Wild West. Deadwood Fund Grant Funded by a portion of the gambling revenue generated in Deadwood, South Dakota. 1987 - Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission is established. Founded in America’s centennial year, Deadwood, South Dakota, has always celebrated Independence Day with great fanfare and parades, even in its earliest decades. It was founded after gold was discovered in 1874 in the Black Hills. The mining camp known as Deadwood Gulch, in a photograph taken in 1876. Located just northeast of Lead and about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Rapid City, Deadwood lies in a canyon formed by Whitewood Creek in the northern Black Hills, more than 4,530 feet (1,380 metres) above sea level. 1964 – 1967 – South Dakota Department of Transportation (SD-DOT) encloses a portion of Whitewood Creek as part of the box culvert project. With the help of the citizens of Deadwood and South Dakota, the history of this community is being preserved and interpreted by eleven institutions partly or fully funded through the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and City of Deadwood. Aficionados of the HBO drama, now in its third season, may find it hard to believe that the true accounts of these men’s lives sometimes rival those played out on the screen. The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 established the Great Sioux Reservation in the Black Hills. After the death of Wild Bill Hickok and the acquittal of his killer, Jack McCall, it became apparent that Deadwood needed law and order. Built Days of '76 Museum. In its early days the town of Deadwood took pride in being lawless, murdering anyone who dared to bring civility. Deadwood, city, seat (1877) of Lawrence county, western South Dakota, U.S. The Days of '76 celebration began in 1924 as a way to honor These characters were all flesh-and-blood folks who inhabited the real Dakota Territory (present-day South Dakota) town of Deadwood during the Black Hills gold rush. Prospectors found gold in 1874 near present-day Custer, South Dakota, but the deposit turned out to be small. National Archives. 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