Deadwood, South Dakota
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Deadwood, South Dakota Owáyasuta |
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| City | |
Modern Deadwood viewed from Mount Moriah
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 Location in Lawrence County and the state of South Dakota |
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| Coordinates: 44°22′36″N 103°43′45″W / 44.37667°N 103.72917°WCoordinates: 44°22′36″N 103°43′45″W / 44.37667°N 103.72917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Lawrence |
| Founded | 1876 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Commission |
| • Mayor | Chuck Turbiville (elected 2013) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.83 sq mi (9.92 km2) |
| • Land | 3.83 sq mi (9.92 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,531 ft (1,381 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,270 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 1,258 |
| • Density | 331.6/sq mi (128.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 57732 |
| Area code(s) | 605 |
| FIPS code | 46-15700 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1265180 |
| Website | deadwood |
Deadwood (Lakota: Owáyasuta; "To approve or confirm things") is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named after the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to the 2010 census. The city includes the Deadwood Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
The settlement of Deadwood began illegally in the 1870s on land which had been granted to American Indians in the 1868 Treaty of Laramie. The treaty had guaranteed ownership of the Black Hills to the Lakota people and land disputes were endemic, having reached the United States Supreme Court on several occasions. However, in 1874, Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills and announced the discovery of gold on French Creek near present-day Custer, South Dakota. This announcement triggered the Black Hills Gold Rush and gave rise to the new and lawless town of Deadwood, which quickly reached a population of around 5,000.
In early 1876, frontiersman Charlie Utter and his brother Steve led a wagon train to Deadwood containing what were deemed to be needed commodities to bolster business. The gamblers and prostitutes resulted in the establishment of several profitable ventures. Madame Mustache and Dirty Em were on the wagon train and set up shop in what was referred to as Deadwood Gulch. Demand for women was high and the business of prostitution proved to have a good market. Madam Dora DuFran would eventually become the most profitable brothel owner in Deadwood, closely followed by Madam Mollie Johnson. Businessman Tom Miller opened the Bella Union Saloon in September 1876.
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