Local Area Attractions Near Deadwood / Black Hills KOA Holiday

The Wild West lives on in Deadwood!  At this National Historic Landmark you can try your luck at the casinos, watch historic reenactments, visit museums and gold mines or stop by the graves of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Nestled in the Black Hills, this KOA is the perfect base camp for a day trip to Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Custer State Park or the Badlands.  The Deadwood Trailhead is mile marker 109 of the Mickelson Trail,  109 miles of bike riding, running (even has its own marathon in June) and walking paths.  Lead, home of the Homestake Gold Mine until 2002, is now home to the Sanford Underground Science Lab.   Locals and visitors enjoy the beautiful rock formations and cascading falls  in Spearfish Canyon, also famous for scenes from "Dances with Wolves."  The fall colors are a must see. Sturgis, home of the annual motorcycle rally, is just 13 miles away.

Convenient Location

Convenient Location

Our cool mountain nights and central location make an ideal base camp for your Black Hills vacation! We are located one mile west of historic Deadwood on Highway 14A. Less than one hour to all Black Hills attractions

Gambling

Gambling

Try your luck at one of the various casinos!

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Broken Boot Gold Mine

Broken Boot Gold Mine

The intriguing story of one of America's last great gold rushes comes to life at Deadwood's Broken Boot Gold Mine, established in 1878. Step into the Black Hills' best underground mine tour and return to a time when the powerful punch of a miner's pick and the roaring boom of a black powder blast signaled the ongoing search for the richest veins of gold on earth. Follow the path of ore cars deep underground into the century-old shafts of the Broken Boot. Walk in the footsteps of thousands of faceless miners who sought their fortunes in the dark and explosive atmosphere of black powder and candlelight. Experienced guides will help you discover the mysteries and magic of on-time gold mining techniques. Then try your luck at gold panning the same way prospectors did here more than 100 years ago. Every guest will go home with a souvenir "share" of stock in the legendary mine. Open mid-May through mid-September, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Tours are conducted every thirty minutes (lasting approximately thirty minutes and easily accessible to all ages).

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Mt. Moriah Cemetery

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

Deadwood, so named because of the dead timber on the surrounding hills, is not unlike many frontier towns with interesting histories. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills brought thousands of sober, hard-working people to the Deadwood area. However, some residents proved to be quite colorful. Many were buried at Mt. Moriah or at its predecessor, the Ingleside Cemetery which was down the hill and to the left of the present cemetery.

The area of the Ingleside Cemetery is presently a residential section of Deadwood. Many buried in this old cemetery were later exhumed and reburied in Mt. Moriah. However some were not and even today remains from the old cemetery are periodically unearthed when residents dig around their homes. Mt. Moriah Cemetery was established in 1877-1878, because of the ever-increasing demands on Ingleside. It is difficult to tell exactly when the use of Ingleside Cemetery was discontinued. According to old records by mid-1878 all burials, with the exception of those at the Catholic Cemetery, were at Mt. Moriah.

Mt. Moriah has numerous sections. At one time a large number of Chinese were buried in a section in the upper left portion of the cemetery. For religious reasons, the bodies were later exhumed and returned to China for reburial. Today only a few graves exist in this section. The Jewish section is located in the upper portion of the cemetery and is complete with tombstones inscribed in Hebrew. Many of the prominent citizens who founded Mt. Moriah were Masons. One of the most attractive sections is the Masonic section located in the center and many of the roads throughout the cemetery are names connected with Masonry.

Children's graves are found throughout Mt. Moriah. There are three Potter's Fields, final resting places for a number of early day indigents and prostitutes. Most of these graves are unmarked. There is also a Civil War veterans section called War Memorial.

It is virtually impossible to summarize the life stories of the more than 3,400 people buried in Mt. Moriah. The following is a list of some of the more well-known residents:

  • James Butler Hickok "Wild Bill" (died 1876) marshal, Army scout, gunman and gambler
  • John Perrett "Potato Creek Johnny" (died 1943) prospector reported to have found the largest gold nugget in the Black Hills
  • Martha Canary "Calamity Jane" (1850-1903) need we say more?
  • Henry Weston Smith "Preacher Smith" (died 1876) well-liked local Methodist minister
  • Seth Bullock -one of Deadwood's most notable citizen's
  • W.E. Adams (died 1934) pioneer businessman, Deadwood mayor, est. Adams House Museum

The cemetary is accessible year round.

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Old Style Saloon No. 10

Old Style Saloon No. 10

This saloon is filled with history. See display of Wild Bill's Death Chair along with 1,043 other historical and odd items that make this Saloon "the only museum in the world with a bar."

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Local Area Recreation Near Deadwood / Black Hills KOA Holiday

Biking

Biking

Enjoy biking along the George S. Mickelson Trail, 112 miles which follows the historic Burlington Railroad line from Deadwood to Edgemont.

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