On more than one occasion, I’ve found myself in Deadwood wondering, how did this town end up with so many casinos? How did gambling become such a major part of the city?

Today I decided to find out….

The founding of Deadwood came along side the discovery of gold in the area around 1876. As you can probably imagine, the idea of striking it rich attracted quite the crowd. Soon Deadwood was thriving, and the Homestake Gold Mine was developed in Lead. The gold rush caused quite a stir.

The only problem usually associated with a “rush” is that it tends to end. Gradually, the prosperity and the opportunities involved with Black Hills gold rush started to dwindle. Residents of the area soon found themselves saying goodbye to the majority of the gold mines, goodbye to the miners, and goodbye to the major contribution to the area’s economy.

Deadwood was suffering, but not for long. The city decided to initiate a new “rush.” At noon on November 1st in 1989, Deadwood had officially legalized gambling within the city limits.

So how much influence did a few slot machines and Black Jack tables have on the city? Much more than you would probably think!  Over the past decade, Deadwood has received around two-thirds of the tax revenue generated by casinos. That’s nearly $120 million the city uses to help with the historic preservation. (Remember Deadwood being named a True-Western Town?  You can probably give the gambling industry a little credit for that). Not only that, but if I have my facts straight, the industry has also provided nearly 2,000 jobs.

So today we have Deadwood, a former boom town made into a current-day tourism dynasty filled with historic buildings, museums and of course poker chips.

The history of gambling is pretty interesting, for more information, take a look at the links below. Also, you might find a documentation depicting the history of Deadwood gambling in the near future. Learn more here.

Deadwood’s rebirth attributed to gaming and preservation, By Jaci Conrad-Pearson
Black Hills Visitor Magazine
People Magazine