Deadwood, South Dakota

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Deadwood is located less than an hours drive west of Rapid City. It is a historic place and is the town in which Wild Bill Hickok was gunned down. In fact he is buried in the local cemetery, Mt. Moriah, along with Calamity Jane and Potato Creek Johnny. Because of this, the cemetery is a tourist attraction. The Adams House and Museum are located a few blocks apart and are both worth a visit. The house, built in 1892, is built in the Queen Anne style and is quite a charming old place. It is not as large as a Victorian Mansion but is quite spacious. Harris and Anna Franklin built it and later sold it to their son, Nathan, in 1905. In 1920 he sold the house to W.E. and Alice Adams. Adams' first wife passed away and he remarried. Two years after his death, his second wife, Mary, closed up the house in 1936. In 1987 Mary sold the mansion to a couple who renovated it and operated it as a bed and breakfast. In 1992 they sold the home to the City of Deadwood's Historic Preservation Commission. In 2000 the house opened to the public as a museum. Guided tours are conducted on an hourly basis throughout the week. The Adams Museum was funded by Mr. Adams before he died. It has three floors with quite a number of exhibits.

A few miles south of Deadwood, in the small town of Lead, is located the Black Hills Mining Museum. This is a very good museum and has equipment sitting outside including a small locomotive. There is a lot of attractions to see when inside. A guide takes the visitors through the mine and gives a talk on the mine's history and its operation throughout the decades.

The Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the town of Spearfish which is about fifteen miles from Deadwood. This place takes in abused and mistreated animals and lets them live out the rest of their lives in peace and solitude. It has a number of lions, tigers, mountain lions, and other large cats. It also has wolves, emus, and bison. The guide showed us a room full of regular cats which they had taken in. Next to that was an area with dogs which the place was holding for military personnel who had been transferred overseas and had no place to leave their pets. The visitor must take a guided tour through the sanctuary and cannot go through the place by himself. These tours are only given at certain hours of the day.

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