The Deadwood visitor industry is about to take a giant leap forward. A couple of major projects are getting underway this year, including The Lodge at Deadwood, pictured above.

Work is finally getting started on the massive hotel, casino, restaurant/bar, water park and convention center atop the hill overlooking downtown Deadwood. Construction is under way, and it’s slated for completion in the fall of 2009.

The Lodge at Deadwood will include a 140-room, four-story hotel, a 30,000-square-foot casino with 300 slot machines and a convention facility that seat 3,000.

The operators of this project are no neophytes to the hospitality industry. Regency Hotel Management is the main developer. The Sioux Falls company is better known for its Ramkota chain of hotels, motels and resorts. (I’ve never figured out which is the subsidiary and which is the parent company.)

Mike Wordeman, founder of Sodak Gaming many years ago, and his sons Ryan and Rob Wordeman are running the casino side of the new resort. Sodak, you might recall, was sold to IGT several years ago.

The Minerva’s folks out of Sioux Falls wil run the the restaurant at The Lodge of Deadwood.

Regency and Ramkota like the Black Hills a lot. A few years back they bought the former Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge in Rapid City. It’s one of the Black Hills’ biggest convention venues. And they recently took over the private concessions in Custer State Park, operating the Blue Bell Lodge, Legion Lake Lodge, State Game Lodge and Sylvan Lake Lodge.

Dave Sweet, CEO of Ramkota Companies told the Black Hills Pioneer that the new facility will make it easier for Deadwood to lure conventions and conferences. “Deadwood is one of the neat places to come to and with this resort, Deadwood will be able to accommodate them.