History-minded photo buffs might want to cast a lens toward Deadwood this month. The National Park Service is sponsoring a photo contest of National Historic Landmarks.

And here’s the sweet part: The entire city of Deadwood is a National Historic Landmark. Anything you shoot in town will be eligible contest entry.

You could shoot Mount Moriah Cemetery, or Deadwood’s Historic Main Street. Or the less-famous St. Ambrose Cemetery. And check out some of the restored Victorian homes that climb the hillsides above downtown. The Slime Plant, an old relic of the mining days that is currently undergoing a top-to-bottom restoration, smack in the middle of town. There’s also the Days of ‘76 Rodeo Grounds.

Winning images from the contest will featured in the 2009 Historic Landmarks Calendar. In 2007, Keith Umenthum’s photo of the Deadwood Historic Landmark District was featured in the calendar as the Midwest Region Winner.

Deadwood became a National Historic Landmark on July 4, 1961, according to the Deadwood Historic Preservation Office. The designation makes it one of fewer than 2,500 historic places that, according ot the Department of Interior, possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States.

For more information or to enter the contest, please log onto the website at http://www.nps.gov/nero/nhlphoto/

Good luck!