From its volatile inception, Deadwood – named for the trees found in a dry gulch at the edge of town – was an illegal settlement. The United States government ceded the land of the Black Hills to the Lakota tribe in 1868. However, once Col. George Armstrong Custer led an 1874 expedition into the Hills and announced the discovery of gold, all treaties were off.

Under these circumstances was Deadwood born, ultimately becoming a boom town of 5,000.

Within the town two professions began to evolve: the gold miners, who worked the slim odds of hitting their fortune; and those with considerably better odds, those that made their money “mining the miners” – the gamblers, prostitutes and con artists.

One of the earlier arrivals into Deadwood in early 1876 was the wagon train headed up by frontiersman Charlie Utter. On that wagon train is said to have been Utter’s friend Wild Bill Hickok. There was also a fellow traveler, Martha Jane Cannary-Burke – better known as Calamity Jane. She became if not infatuated, at least obsessed, by the former lawman and gambler Hickok.

Seemingly, in those days all roads lead to Deadwood. There was the Fort Pierre-Deadwood Trail with wagon loads of freight and human cargo from St. Louis. There were wagon trails from the neighboring states of Wyoming, Nebraska and Montana, all destined for Deadwood. These trails stretched out for nearly 300 miles through the rolling prairie, harsh weather and deadly rattlesnakes to reach the promise of gold, poker tables, whiskey and loose women.

Of course, the town of Deadwood hit the front pages of newspapers and the covers of dime novels “Back East” after Hickok met his demise at Saloon No. 10 a few scant months after his arrival, holding the infamous “deadman’s hand” of aces over eights.

Niceties aside, the acquittal of Hickok’s murderer “Crooked Nose” Jack McCall was nullified as Deadwood was an illegal settlement with no legally constituted law enforcement or court system. At a federal court within the Dakota Territory the 24-year-old McCall was convicted and gained the dubious distinction of becoming the first man to be legally hanged in the Dakota Territory.

Hickok is buried in Deadwood. Also buried next to Hickok in the Mount Moriah Cemetery at Deadwood is Calamity Jane.

Other luminaries made their names known in Deadwood. Included among these are: Wyatt Earp who is reputed to have spent the years 1876-1877 in Deadwood, as did his friend, the irascible Doc Holliday. Other period celebrities included Al Swearengen (who controlled the opium trade in town), Buffalo Bill Cody, Seth Bullock (the town’s first sheriff, and as a friend of former President Theodore Roosevelt served as a Captain of Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders), and Madame Canutson (a female bull-whacker who could outdrive and out-swear most men of the time).

For 100 years, or more, the trails that have brought this cast of characters – and more — into historic Deadwood have been closed.

However in late July and into August, this all will change.

After extensive negotiations with area ranchers throughout three states, the old trails will be open to wagon teams and horseback traffic.

The old Fort Pierre-Deadwood trail will once again see at least 60 wagons and some 300 riders, according to Kevin Kuchenbecker, the historic preservation officer for the city of Deadwood. On the 300-mile Cheyenne-Deadwood Trail will be another 20 wagons. There are at least six more wagons expected to make the 300-mile trek from Sidney, Neb., with others coming in from Montana.

“It’s the 100th anniversary of the Fort Pierre-Deadwood Trail,” Kuckenberg says. “These riders will start out on July 29 … it’s going to be something incredible to see.”

The wagon trains are expected to converge onto the Main Street of Deadwood on Aug. 15 for a large parade, not too late for the Aug. 14-17 Firearms and Old West Auction and Show.

The Auction and Show is an unprecedented event in the heart of Deadwood. The show, itself, is an invitation only event bringing together the top gun collectors and dealers of Western Americana, firearms and art throughout the country. The Colt Manufacturing Co. will present a major public exhibit at the show from Aug. 14-17, illustrating the history of the Colt firearms from the Old West to present.

The auction of Old West memorabilia and art on Aug. 16-17, will be featuring an original stage coach, Gatling guns, Old West back bars, original gambling equipment (some of which “played” in Deadwood), more than 600 firearms, original Bowie knives and more, according to Rick Olesen, owner of the Dakota Plains Auction Service.

The auction will be hosted by a partnership among auction companies, Dakota Plain, Auction Productions and Little John’s Auction Services of Orange, Calif.

The proceeds of many of the auctioned items will go to capital improvements of the Days of 76 Historical Museum in Deadwood.

Although the auction will be offering a multitude of genuine antiques, one of the items that is turning a lot of heads within the collecting industry is a new – freshly produced – Colt .45.

The nickel-plated pistol with ivory scrimshaw grips is being donated to the auction by the Colt Manufacturing Co. with all the proceeds earmarked for the Days of 76 Museum. It will have engraving accomplished by Colt Master Engraver Steve Kamyk, who also will scrimshaw the one-piece ivory grip with the image of “aces over eights” on one side, and “Days of ’76” displayed on the other. The serial number will also be unique: “DW 1876.”

The gun is expected to sell for at least $10,000-30,000, according to Bob Greene, who was a Colt auction master for 11 years. “It’s difficult for me to put a value on this gun … I’d have to personally say 10 to 30 … but it could go much higher.”

It was Greene, who as one of the partners who initiated the auction, urged Colt President and CEO Gen. William M. Keys to donate the gun to Deadwood’s historical museum.

“It was very generous of Gen. Keys to donate the gun,” Greene said. “It’s certainly one of a kind. We just received the gun and sent it Deadwood, so hardly anyone has seen it. The engraving is done in the style of Nimske – it’s beautiful. And accompanying it is a letter from the factory signed by Gen. Keys – it’s the first time to my knowledge that the president of the Colt factory has signed any accompanying letter – it’s that unique.”

August is a busy month for Deadwood. On Aug. 4-10, there’s a great deal of spillover from the nearby Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Aug. 14-17 starts the Old West Auction and Show, and the month closes with a huge classic car show, “Kool Deadwood Nites” on Aug. 21-24.

“For a town with a population of 1,200, we pull in about two million visitors a year,” Kuchenberg says. “August is a big month for us … it’s Harleys, Horses and Hot Rods. There’s a lot to look forward to.”

Contact: (928) 632-8000

www.auctionproductions.com

Eric C. Rodenberg