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Home | Subscription | Contact Us RV'ing In Cowboy Country... Paha Sapa, The Sacred Land by Norm Barrett Outlaws, legends and fools all came like moths to a flame, drawn together in a bid for a fortune. The flame was gold and it consumed all mesmerized by its glow. The stage was set for a series of melodramas with their plots to be determined by fate. The backdrop was the beautiful "Paha Sapa" or "Hills of Black", as the Sioux called them, a land sacred and far removed from the rigors of everyday life. This peace and tranquility was shattered by an ambitious army officer, his flowing yellow hair blown by a warm summer breeze. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's place in history overshadows his role in the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. His expedition of 1874 was to gather information but its scope was widened to seek out the gold rumored to be there. With Custer's confirmation of the presence of gold, the rush soon followed, a deliberate violation of the treaty signed six years earlier giving the Sioux control of their lands, free from incursions by the white man. With the discovery of gold near Deadwood in 1876, hoards of prospectors swarmed into the area to stake their claim. One of the eager arrivals was James Butler Hickok (Wild Bill) who had worked his way west as a gunman and a marshal. He reasoned if he could make a strike in Deadwood, he would return to his bride of two weeks and retire. Even if the claim did not pan out, he could mine the miners at the gambling tables at which he was most proficient. One day Wild Bill, sitting at a poker game in Saloon Number Ten, allowed himself to sit with his back to an open rear door. A sleazy little man, by the name of Jack McCall, crept from behind and shot him in the back of the head, escaping out the rear door. The dying Hickok fell forward spilling pairs of black Aces and eights on the table- a combination that forever would be known as "the dead man's hand." Today, Old Saloon Number Ten bills itself as the only museum in the world with a bar. After two shots of red-eye and a walk through sawdust, past walls and rafters jammed with artifacts, photographs and even Wild Bill's wedding licence you may be hard pressed to argue the point. You can join throngs of travelers at Hickok's grave site in Mount Moriah Cemetery. Nearby are the final resting places of other legends of Deadwood including Calamity Jane. The next century would deal Deadwood its share of unlucky hands. Fires and floods took their toll but the gambling crackdown in 1947 dealt the final blow. The quaint Wild West business district was crumbling, drab and deserted. Legalized gambling returned in 1989 with 80 gaming halls lining the streets. Millions of dollars were poured into renovating a town that is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. The real fun in Deadwood is often found in just roaming the streets, watching the tourists and stepping in and out of doorways. The Bullock Hotel is one of the finest examples of historic restoration in South Dakota. The cutstone building is purportedly haunted by Bullock's ghost. Guests who stay there may have a face-to-face encounter with Kevin Costner, who stays at the Bullock during frequent visits to Deadwood where he and his brother own The Midnight Star casino. Costner's costumes, worn in nearly all of his films, are on display here but it is Jake's, his four-diamond restaurant, that serves up rib-eye with mushrooms sauteed in amaretto. The First Gold Hotel also attracts huge crowds, including thousands of Canadians, each year because of its good food and friendly dealers. ... (Read full story in Vol.3 No.5) (Page Top) Home | Subscription | Contact Us Power Boating Canada | Poker Runs America | Hot Sled Copyright © Taylor Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.