We went to Deadwood expecting an old west frontier town. I guess we should have done a little more research prior to visiting. It is a normal small touristic town. The town is famous for having Wild Bill Hickock being shot in the town. After we got over the fact that it was not an old west town, we did walk around the city and enjoy the sights. I was a huge fan of the HBO series Deadwood and found that it was based on some truth about the real town. The highlight for me was eating in the GEM restaurant, which is a little pricey but the food was good, however the waitress seemed to be indifferent and so the service was not very good. We visited Mount Mariah cemetery where Wild Bill is buried along with Calamity Jane. It is a nice little city and if you like shopping, gambling and eating then this is the place for you. Like I said earlier we were expecting something different but we still had a nice time visiting the city.

We stopped in Deadwood July 13 2010. This is our second time visiting and we love it. It looks like an old western town. It is the original Deadwood so there are a lot of historic sites.

We took the Boot Hill Tour of the city. It cost about 7.00. It took us to Mt Moriah Cemetery. This is where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried. The tour guide had a lot of info about the cemetery and the town. The tour took about an hour.

We ate at the Steakhouse Saloon which was very nice.
There was a gunfight in the street put on by the locals. They are very much into keeping the Old West alive. They are knowledgeable and included the kids that were there. It was fun for all.

The casinos are small but I love the atmosphere. It is a quaint town with a lot of history, shops, restaurants and casinos. I would go back there everytime I am in the area.

I had been looking forward to visiting Deadwood - I am an old cowboy buff from way back. Unfortunately, even though I was expecting casinos etc, I was surprised at how tacky and false the place turned out to be.
Being a National Monument I expected some degree of authenticity to the town, but even the saloon which promoted itself as where Wild Bill Hickock was shot, Saloon No 10, was a couple of hundred yards down the road and on the other side of the road to the actual site????
We did enjoy browsing through the hotel owned by Kevin Costner with his movie costumes on display and further down another with cars and costumes from other movie sets.
If you enjoy the casino scene I am sure you would be in heaven but as far as being a historic site it is disappointing.

Deadwood is a neat little town with a lot of old west history. Be sure to visit the town grave yard and the tavern where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered. The town is a gambling hot spot and is a very big tourist attraction for visitors to Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills. If your not a BIKER try to avoid this area during the STURGIS SD biker rally week! They are loud and number in the tens of thousands. It can be crazy and rooms are not to be found.