Ever been to Deadwood, SD?

Still new to the State of Colorado, we decided to venture out during our first three-day weekend of 2008 and check out the Black Hills of South Dakota, so on Saturday morning we jumped into the car and headed North.

The farthest North I had been was Fort Collins, so as we ventured into the outskirt of Wyoming I was excited. I’m not sure why I was excited, especially seeing as a majority of the drive (3+ hours) looked just like this ————>

I’m not saying that it’s not beautiful country up there, but if you don’t stop and get gas or use the bathroom when they advertise the option, you may be out of luck.

Mike had done some research ahead of time, so we knew where we were staying and approximately how long it would take us to get there. Thank goodness for the GPS!

After about 4.5 hours in the car we hit South Dakota and the Black Hills. We wound through the hills (I can call them that as I live in CO where we have REAL mountains) and finally arrived in Deadwood, SD. It was like stepping back in time as Main Street looked as it may have over 100 years ago.

The town is the final resting place of Wild Bill Hickock who was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall while playing poker at the No. 10 Saloon on Aug 2, 1876.

The introduction of gaming has enabled Deadwood to preserve its historic buildings and dramatically increase tourism. The lure of gaming is not the only draw to Deadwood; people are also fascinated by its unique, colorful history.

We definitely enjoyed our time in Deadwood and would highly recommend it to anyone. We contributed to the economy, although I would have liked to walk away with one of the jackpots. Maybe next time!