Places:

Bella Union Theatre – Though the Bella Union did exist in Deadwood, it was not a wild and woolly gambling hall but actually advertised itself as “Entertainment for ladies and families” and “Entertainment without ordinary vulgarities of show.” The Bella Union was also not owned and operated by Cy Tolliver, but rather by a man named Tom Miller. Though more “upscale” than the other entertainment venues in the camp, it did, however, offer liquor and a few gambling tables.

Featuring stage performances, trapeze acts, wrestling tournaments, sparring expeditions, and more, The Bella Union Theatre, built by Tom Miller in 1876, was the grandest place in Deadwood. With 30′ ceilings, three grand entrances, 17 private boxes, and stretching some 120 feet in length, her grand private reception room became the central meeting place for the town folks of Deadwood. However, the Bella Union’s life was short: just two years after it was built, Miller went bankrupt. The theatre was dismantled in November 1878, and the scenery, properties, and fixtures were sold. The large lower floor became a grocery store and storage facility, while the upper floor became a Mechanics Hall meeting room. Perkins and Company attempted to resurrect the theatre’s once-great popularity by producing a new play in the old Mechanics Hall in January 1879. However, as published in the Black Hills Daily Times, the town couldn’t support yet another theater by that time.

Deadwood Bank – There was obviously no bank owned and operated by Alma Garrett, as she didn’t exist. The first bank in Deadwood was the Stebbins, Post & Co. Bank, which opened in 1877. The following year, a reorganization resulted in the creation of the First National Bank of Deadwood. In history, there is no mention that either Seth Bullock or Sol Star was affiliated with the First National Bank. However, another bank was started in June 1880, for which Seth Bullock was named President. However, just seven years later, on February 17, 1887, the bank was closed. There is also no mention of Sol Star’s involvement with this bank.

Gem Saloon – Actually called the Gem Variety Theater, much of Deadwood’s first season’s action is portrayed at the Gem Saloon. However, the year is 1876, and the Gem Saloon didn’t open until April of 1877. In 1876, Al Swearengen owned a very small tavern that was called the Cricket Saloon. When Swearengen did open Gem Variety Theater in 1877, it became one of the city’s most infamous amusement houses. Swearengen lured women from the East with promises of adventure in the West, but those who accepted soon found themselves the victims of the white slave trade. The Gem and its debased women soon garnered a reputation as the vilest of the vile in a city without law.

Grand Central Hotel –  This hotel did exist in Deadwood, but was never owned by E.B. Farnum nor George Hearst, and was obviously never attempted to be purchased by Alma Garrett, since she didn’t even exist. Built by Charles H. Wagner, it was one of the first hotels to open in June 1876. What is true in the Deadwood Series is that Lucretia “Aunt Lou” Marchbanks was the Kitchen Manager at the Grand Central, almost from day one. In no time, the hotel, which really wasn’t so grand, was better known for its great food served in its restaurant, and Lucretia Marchbanks had become better known as “Aunt Lou.” On July 4, 1876, the Grand Central Hotel hosted Deadwood’s first ball, where nine “proper” women showed up to enjoy a little dancing and Aunt Lou’s great food. Nine “proper” women were probably close to all of them in the camp at the time, as most of the “ladies” in Deadwood’s early days were of the “sporting” variety.

In September, General Crook visited Deadwood and stayed at the Grand Central. Two months later, yet another ball was thrown in December to celebrate the coming of the Telegraph. Obviously successful, another story and a new front were added to the hotel in July 1877, and shortly after that, Wagner retired and leased the hotel to W.H. Fanton.

When Deadwood got the first telephone exchange in the territory in March 1878, a major celebration was held at the hotel. However, two disasters would soon strike the hotel. In April, a large thunderstorm caused major flooding in the building, and a fire in the rear of the building caused significant damage.

After only two years of operation, the Grand Central Hotel went on the auction block in July 1878. With the sale, portions of the building were leased for retail space, and various managers operated the remaining facilities as a boarding house until the great fire of September 1879. The hotel was renovated into a 70-bed furnished lodging house and served as host to the many soldiers visiting the area from Fort Meade. The lodging house experienced a slow decline over the years, culminating in its final demise in 1892 when it was razed to make room for new development.

Homestake Mine – The Homestake claim was discovered by brothers Moses and Fred Manuel and Hank Harney in April 1876. In June 1877, the Homestake claim and another totaling 10 acres were purchased from the Manuels for $70,000 by a group of mining men, including George Hearst. Later that year, in November, the Homestake Mining Company was incorporated. Over the next few years, Hearst purchased additional claims, obtained water rights on nearby Whitewood Creek, and began to assemble the Homestake empire. By the summer of 1879, the Homestake operation consisted of ten major and several smaller mines, 540 stamps in six mills, a huge assortment of buildings, and over 500 employees.

The Homestake Mine would become the basis of the Hearst financial empire and Deadwood’s sister city Lead’s largest employer, for 126 years. Before its closing in 2002, Homestake Gold Mine was the oldest, largest, and deepest mine in the Western Hemisphere, reaching more than 8000 feet below the town of Lead.

Nuttall & Mann’s #10 Saloon

It was here that Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok on August 2, 1876. The prior evening, while playing poker with several men, including McCall, Hickok lost heavily. Wild Bill generously gave him back enough money to buy something to eat, but advised him not to play again until he could cover his losses. This obviously humiliated McCall, who would take his revenge the next day.

The next afternoon, when Wild Bill entered Nuttall & Mann’s Saloon, he found Charlie Rich sitting in his preferred seat. After some hesitation, Wild Bill joined the game, reluctantly seating himself with his back to the door and the bar—a fatal mistake. Jack McCall, drinking heavily at the bar, saw Hickok enter the saloon, taking a seat at his regular table in the corner near the door.

McCall slowly walked around to the corner of the saloon where Hickok was playing his game. McCall pulled a double-action .45 pistol from under his coat, shouted “Take that!” and shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Hickok had been holding a pair of eights and a pair of Aces, which has ever since been known as the “dead man’s hand.”

The original #10 Saloon location was at 624 Main Street, which today is occupied by the Wild West Winners Casino. The original Number Ten saloon burned down in Deadwood’s tragic fire of 1879 and was then relocated across the street. In its place, the second I.H. Chase Building was built in 1898, which housed a clothing store until 1903. When Chase moved out, Frank X. Smith opened a beer hall, which proudly advertised itself as a “metropolitan resort.” Later, it housed the Eagle Inn, the sign of which still hangs on the upper portion of the building. Downstairs in the Wild West Casino is an interpretive site that tells visitors all about the curse of the dead man’s hand and the man who made it famous.

The Wild West Winners Casino also encompasses the Bullock-Clark Building, which is the site of the original Bella Union Theater, as well as the Schwarzwald building, which was long used as a furniture store. The Bullock-Clark building was consumed by fire in 1894, and the two parties rebuilt a single structure on their two lots. Later, the combined building would be opened up on the lower floor and utilized as an automobile showroom.

These buildings later served as part of Deadwood’s infamous Green Door District. On the upper levels were the original locations of several of Deadwood’s brothels, including Pam’s Purple Door, one of the last to close in Deadwood in 1980. Today, the second-story windows are decorated with scantily dressed mannequins, who beckon to the street below, much as the real painted ladies of Deadwood’s past once did.

Across the street at  657 Main Street is the recreated Old Style Saloon #10. Here, you will find not only a real saloon, restaurant, and gambling den, but also a “saloon museum” where historical and mining camp artifacts spanning over 100 years are exhibited along the walls. One display shows what is allegedly the original “death chair” where Hickok was shot, but according to our sources, it is actually one that is similar. The saloon also features Bill Hickok, Jack McCall, and the other players, who recreate the shooting every day at 3:00 p.m.