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Mt. Moriah vintage postcard.
Towering over
Deadwood
to the east is Mt. Moriah where a number of
Deadwood's
notable residents are buried including
Wild Bill Hickok,
Calamity Jane,
Preacher Henry Smith,
Madam Dora
DuFran,
Potato
Creek Johnny, and more.
Deadwood's
first cemetery was on lower ground and called the Ingleside Cemetery.
However, as more and more people moved into the town to work in the gold
mines, a need for new homes prompted the city to move the graveyard up the
steep hill of Mt. Moriah. The new cemetery was created in 1877 and the
bodies, including that of
Wild Bill Hickok were exhumed
and moved to the new location. However, locals tell that every now and
then when the ground is excavated around their homes, a human bone or two
will sometimes still be found.
Surrounded by fragrant pine trees, the Mt.
Moriah has several sections for different ethnic groups, which was common
at the time the cemetery was created. In the old Chinese section, a
large number of bodies were once buried here, but were later were exhumed
and returned to China, leaving only a few remaining. The cemetery also has
a separate Jewish section, a Civil War veteran area, and three Potters'
Fields, which hold the remains of early day indigents and prostitutes. The
largest section is for the Masons in the center of the cemetery, because
many of
Deadwood's
prominent citizens belonged to that group.
Seth
Bullock's grave is not actually in the cemetery but is some 750 feet
above the main area. He was buried here at his request so that the grave
faced the Mt. Roosevelt memorial, which was visible at the time.
The cemetery has been restored with brick
walls, new roadways, a visitor's center, and an overlook which provides a
spectacular view of
Deadwood.
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From the Rocky Mountain General Store
 Nostalgic
Photograph Prints - From our personal
Photo Print Shop, you'll find a number of nostalgic photo
prints mostly from the early 20th century ranging from gas pumps, to
grocery stores, 1920's flappers, model-T's, children, Christmas and a
whole lot more.
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