Yesterday we took the trip to Deadwood. I wanted to see the bar where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and where he and Calamity Jane were buried. We took a bus tour of Deadwood that took us up the hill (very steep) to Mount Moriah Cemetery. Some myths regarding the two were busted on the tour. Calamity Jane and Wild Bill were never lovers. He was married and had come to Deadwood to make his fortune. Calamity Jane was on the same stage arriving in Deadwood. Wild Bill was only in Deadwood for a couple of months before he was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall.
Calamity Jane was a large woman who dressed like a man. She loved to drink and was drunk most of the time. However, during a smallpox epidemic she sobered up and took care of the sick. She never lost a patient. One child she cared for, was of the Gray family. They were a very wealthy family in Deadwood and when she died, they paid for her to be buried next to Wild Bill.
After the tour, we walked around the town a little and then went into Saloon #10 to watch a reenactment of the shooting of Wild Bill.
Ed was chosen to play the part of the bar tender.
Wild Bill jumps onto the tour bus.
Still to go…Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State park.
What a fun tour. Ed is the perfect choice for a bartender.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun. I could be Calamity Jane ;)
ReplyDeleteWe walked up to the cemetery - about killed me. I would like to take the tour cause you learn so much more. And I agree - Ed is the perfect bartender.
ReplyDeleteWe were there quite a few years ago but don't remember much. Maybe it was longer ago than I want to remember. However, I'd like to do it again. I thought about you when they were talking about all the rain and wondering if you were being washed away.
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