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The Franklin Hotel in 1903, vintage postcard.
The Franklin Hotel today, July, 2006, Kathy
Weiser.
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Construction began on the Franklin Hotel at
700 Main Street in 1902. Recognizing the need for a large hotel in
downtown
Deadwood, Harris
Franklin, a wealthy ranch owner and mining investor, offered to match any
contribution to the hotel dollar for dollar. The idea worked and the
Deadwood Hotel Company was formed. Naming the hotel for its largest
investor, it held its grand opening on June 4, 1903. The banquet welcomed
some 250 quests who enjoyed the hotel services including a cigar store,
newsstand, restaurant, barber shop and masseuse. Almost unheard of
at the time, every room featured its own telephone.
During its heydays, its guest list included
such notables as Theodore Roosevelt, William Taft,
Buffalo Bill, Babe Ruth, and John
Wayne.
A new rear addition was added to the hotel
in 1929. Alas, when
Deadwood began to
decline, the hotel was converted into residential apartments.
However, when gambling was reintroduced to
Deadwood, it once
again reopened as a hotel.
The ground floor has recently scene a
massive renovation project, updating it into a luxurious casino.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of its historic amenities were not
restored, eliminating the hotel's massive fireplace, bar, and mosaic tile
floor.
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