Main Street
The muddy artery of a lawless gold camp.
Main Street was the central thoroughfare of Deadwood during its Gold Rush heyday from 1876 to 1879. The street served the miners and entrepreneurs who swept into the settlement, which began as an illegal squat on Lakota land. Named after the dead trees found in its gulch, the town quickly reached a population of approximately 5,000, with some sources putting the peak at around 25,000 during the boom period (often cited for 1877 or the overall boom, not specifically 1876). The street witnessed the lawlessness for which Deadwood became known, including the murder of Wild Bill Hickok on August 2, 1876, which occurred inside Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 (though the street itself was the broader setting).
Quick Facts
- Key landmarks
- Gem Theater, Bella Union Saloon (opened spring/summer 1876)
Lore & Background
The physical state of Main Street reflected the rough character of the town. In early 1876, frontiersman Charlie Utter and his brother Steve led a wagon train to Deadwood containing what they believed were needed commodities, including gamblers and prostitutes. Madame Mustache and Dirty Em set up shop in what was referred to as Deadwood Gulch. The Bella Union Saloon opened in spring or summer 1876, operated by Tom Miller. Al Swearengen opened the Gem Theater in 1877 (the exact date of April 7 is not reliably confirmed in widely accepted historical records); the saloon burned down and was rebuilt in 1879, then burned again in 1899. The street also hosted a Chinese quarter, though it was not solely on Main Street—it was also concentrated on a parallel street; Wong Fee Lee arrived in 1876 and became a leading merchant until his death in 1921.
Reader's Guide
Main Street connected the key landmarks of Deadwood's Gold Rush era. The Bella Union Saloon, opened by Tom Miller in September 1876, and the Gem Theater, opened by Al Swearengen on April 7, 1877, anchored opposite ends of the commercial district. The Chinese quarter arose on Main Street, with Wong Fee Lee becoming a leading merchant. The street also hosted the Pilcher Electric Light Company of Deadwood, founded by Judge Squire P. Romans on September 17, 1883, which brought electricity to Deadwood less than four years after Thomas Edison commercialized the incandescent lamp. The entire town was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961 for its preserved Gold Rush-era architecture, with most buildings constructed before 1900.
Did You Know?
- A smallpox epidemic swept through Deadwood beginning August 12, 1876, forcing tents to be erected to quarantine the stricken.
- A fire on September 26, 1879, destroyed more than 300 buildings on Main Street, causing many inhabitants to leave town.
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