The Real Deadwood
by
John Ames
The Black Hills of the Dakota Territory - sacred grounds for the Lakota, and one of the richest sections
of land the world has ever known. With "easy color" ripe for the taking, the population of the gold
rush town of Deadwood jumped from eight hundred to over ten thousand, as over a million dollars of
gold was pulled from the ground between June and July of 1876. With no law, no order, and a volatile
collection of inhabitants still recovering from the Civil War, there weren't enough pigs in Chinatown to
dispose of all the bodies.
Not since the first signs of color have so many people flocked to Deadwood, only now they're tuning in
to the acclaimed HBO series of the same name. With a cast of historically rich characters,
The Real
Deadwood explores the lives of "Wild Bill" Hickok, Al Swearengen, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, and a host
of others. A historical crossroad of the American West, even Wyatt Earp came to Deadwood, only to
bump heads with Seth Bullok. Other celebrated visitors over the years include Buffalo Bill Cody, the
Sundance Kid, Bat Masterson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Looking at a world of primitive medicine,
prostitution and law from lawlessness,
The Real Deadwood separates the facts from the fiction in its
overview of a town violent enough to rival the likes of Tombstone, Dodge City and Abilene.
"Poor man's diggings" is what it was called; how it was found, taken and swindled away is the story of
life on the frontier - when roughing it was truly rough. It's good versus evil and civilization versus
anarchy. It's the real Deadwood.
$12.95