Wild Bill Hickok's Deadwood "A killing or two each day or night was not uncommon"

DEADWOOD, SOUTH DAKOTA

Deadwood now, is nothing like it was when Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Nathan Bernard and many others you may have read about, when the likes of dirty, old miners, prostitutes and drunks were the occupants of this town.
As I entered Deadwood, years ago, I recall riding down the hill into town and passing the towering Mineral Palace Hotel, where we eventually stayed the night. The Mineral Palace
Hotel at the time, as I recall was the largest structure in the town, hardly looking like the buildings that were lining the short Main Street in 1876 when Hickok was murdered. At that time the small shops looked like sheds, the saloons were quickly thrown together, two story hotels with the entire first floor crammed with tables and chairs where the drinking was done and aside from the gambling area. The bar was a bartender standing behind a row of large wooden kegs with large planks of boards used for the bar top.

A killing or two each day or night was not uncommon. Hardly a twenty-four hour period went by without somebody getting killed for one reason or another. According to the journal of Nathan Bernard, in the six weeks before Wild Bill was shot, Nathan never heard of anybody 'striking it rich'. In fact during the following year, Nathan's 'rage year', he knew of nobody ever finding anything of value. During this 'rage year' it was rare to see Nathan Bernard in town at all. It was known to all in town it was wise to be anywhere else than be in town walking the Main Street when Nathan was in town.

After the trials of Jack McCall it was also rare to see Calamity Jane in Deadwood also. No mention of her was noted in Nathans journal. He apparently never saw her again. According to his journal When Nathan arrived back in Boston, he put his gun, holster, and boots away, along with all his western attire and never spoke the words Wild Bill again, but often when his wife, Fancy would arrive home from shopping or wherever she had been she found Nathan sitting in his favorite chair, crying.

For further blogs check this site out daily. Or, read the novel:
Wild Bill Hickok- His last six weeks.
by
Dan Goldstein