Deadwood

History

The settlement of Deadwood began illegally in the 1870s, on land which had been granted to the Lakota people in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The treaty had guaranteed ownership of the Black Hills to the Lakota people, who consider this area to be sacred. The settlers' squatting led to numerous land disputes, several of which reached the United States Supreme Court. Everything changed after Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer was ordered to lead an expedition into the Black Hills and announced the discovery of gold in 1874, on French Creek near present-day Custer, South Dakota. This announcement was a catalyst for the Black Hills Gold Rush, and miners and entrepreneurs swept into the area. They created the new and lawless town of Deadwood, which quickly reached a population of approximately 5,000. By 1877, about 12,000 people settled in Deadwood, while other sources put the peak number even at 25,000 in 1876. Women were in high demand by the miners, and the business of prostitution proved to have a good market. Madam Dora DuFran eventually became the most profitable brothel owner in Deadwood, closely followed by Madam Mollie Johnson. Deadwood became known for its lawlessness; murders were common, and justice for murders not always fair and impartial. The town attained further notoriety when gunman Wild Bill Hickok was killed on August 2, 1876. Both he and Calamity Jane were buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery, as well as other notable figures such as Seth Bullock. Hickok's murderer, Jack McCall, was prosecuted twice, despite the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against double jeopardy. Because Deadwood was an illegal town in Indian Territory, non-native civil authorities lacked the jurisdiction to prosecute McCall. McCall's trial was moved to a Dakota…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. Deadwood's climate varies considerably from the rest of the state and surrounding areas. While most of the state receives less than of precipitation per year, annual precipitation in the Lead—Deadwood area reaches nearly . Despite a mean annual snowfall of , warm chinook winds are frequent enough that the median snow cover is zero even in January, although during cold spells after big snowstorms there can be considerable snow on the ground. On November 6, 2008, after a storm had deposited of snow, with a water equivalent of , of snow lay on the ground. Spring is brief, and is characterized by large wet snow storms and periods of rain. April 2006, although around hotter than the long-term mean overall, saw a major storm of , with a water equivalent , and left a record snow depth of on the 19th. Typically the first temperature will be reached at the beginning of April, the first near the beginning of May, and the first around mid-June. Despite the fact that warm afternoons begin occasionally so early, 192.4 mornings each year fall to or below freezing, and even in May 8.8 mornings reach this temperature. Over the year, is reached on 12.9 mornings per year, and 39.1 afternoons do not top freezing. The spring season sees heavy snow and rainfall, with of snow having fallen in April 1986 and as much as of precipitation in the record wet May 1982. The summer season is very warm, although with cool nights: only 14.7 afternoons equal or exceed . Rainfall tapers off during the summer: August 2000 was one of only two months in the 30-year 1971 to 2000 period to see not even a trace of precipitation. The fall is usually sunny and dry, with increasingly variable temperatures.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Lead-Deadwood Elementary - 03
  Elementary · Deadwood · 293 students · 10.1:1 ratio
• Lead-Deadwood High School - 01
  High · Lead · 222 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Mountain View Elementary - 08
  Elementary · Spearfish · 168 students · 12:1 ratio
• Lead-Deadwood Middle School - 02
  Middle · Lead · 159 students · 9.9:1 ratio
• Whitewood Elementary - 04
  Elementary · Whitewood · 109 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 10
  High · Spearfish · 22 students · 7.3:1 ratio
• Spearfish Academy at Canyon Hills Elementary - 09
  Middle · Spearfish · 2 students · 0.7:1 ratio
• Black Hills Academy at Canyon Hills High School - 07
  High · Spearfish