I’ve always been curious about that odd, monolithic, castle that stands on the hilltop just north of Deadwood. The tower is called the Friendship Tower, and the hilltop is Mount Roosevelt in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

I hope to find out more — and get some photos — on Thursday, July 2.

The Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and the U.S. Forest Service is hosting a dedication ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the tower’s construction.

The event, at noon, will feature professional actors portraying Seth Bullock and Theodore Roosevelt.  Also, the Historic Rocky Mountain Pack Team from Colorado will be on hand.

“Nationally recognized professional reenactors will play the parts and speak about the conservation movement, their friendship and America’s great National Forests,” according to the release.

Friendship Tower was constructed by Bullock, Deadwood’s first sheriff and frontier entrepreneur, to honor President Roosevelt, his longtime friend. It was built in 1919, shortly after Roosevelt’s death in January of that year. Bullock also got the hill renamed Mount Roosevelt.

Today Mount Roosevelt is maintained by the Black Hills National Forest as a recreational trail and picnic area.To get to the summit of Mount Roosevelt, travel north of Deadwood on U.S. Highway 85 and turn west on Forest Road 133, just past The Lodge at Deadwood.

One interesting footnote is that Bullock was buried just east of Mount Moriah Cemetery — there’s a sign in the cemetery that points the way — on a hillside with a good view of Mount Roosevelt. That was Bullock’s wish.