Global Journeys with Jill Dutton

Echoes of the Frontier: Unveiling the Legends of Deadwood, South Dakota with Andy Mosher

• Jill Dutton • Season 2 • Episode 10

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Embark on a thrilling expedition to the town where the Wild West refuses to die—Deadwood, South Dakota. Through my chat with Deadwood Alive's very own Andy Mosher, you'll be whisked away to a place where outlaws' whispers and gold rush tales color every corner.

Step back into a bygone era, and unearth hidden treasures like the Adams Museum and the Brothel Museum.  Andy tells us about the Deadwood Mountain Grand's past life as a Slime Plant, as well as revels in the current-day thrills of shootouts and historical reenactments.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the podcast where we embark on a journey through culture and place, one fascinating story at a time. I'm your host, jill Dutton, an avid traveler and writer, passionate about exploring the world and uncovering the unique tales of the people I encounter along the way. Join me as we delve into the heart of destinations, offering an insider's perspective through the captivating narratives of individuals who shape their communities. Whether it's chatting with a distillery owner crafting artisanal spirits, an angler casting lines in remote waters or a chef mastering the flavors of a region, each episode offers a glimpse into their world and expertise. Stick around till the end of each episode offers a glimpse into their world and expertise. Stick around till the end of each episode to discover more about my travels and writing adventures. In the meantime, get ready to be inspired, enlightened and transported to distant lands on Global Journeys with Jill Dutton.

Speaker 1:

In today's episode, we're journeying to the heart of the American West, where legends of outlaws, gold rushes and frontier justice still echo through the streets. That's right. We're headed to Deadwood, south Dakota, a town steeped in history and myth. I recently visited Deadwood to experience their Forks, corks and Kegs Festival, where I was hosted by the Deadwood Mountain Grand at their newly renovated hotel, restaurant, casino and entertainment venue. Today we have a special treat in store. Joining us is Andy Mosher, a true aficionado of Deadwood's past and present as a member of Deadwood Alive, an organization dedicated to bringing the town's history to life through immersive performances. Andy is the perfect guide to help us navigate the colorful tapestry of Deadwood's past. So buckle up as we ride through dusty trails of yesteryear, uncovering the tales of gunslingers, gold miners and the wild frontier. Deadwood may have earned its name from the trees that once littered its gulch, but today it's known for a different kind of timber, the resilient spirit of its people and the enduring allure of the Old West.

Speaker 1:

Let's dive in. So, without further ado, please join me in welcoming Andy Mosher to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton. Andy, thank you for joining us today and sharing your insights about Deadwood. We can't wait to embark on this incredible journey with you, andy. Thank you so much for joining me today, you bet. First I'm going to ask some quick questions that you can respond to briefly. The questions. They're designed to give the listener a quick overview of the destination, and then we'll dive deeper into the topics afterwards, ready.

Speaker 2:

You bet.

Speaker 1:

Okay, what are your top recommendations for visitors looking to experience the essence of Deadwood today?

Speaker 2:

Walk Main Street, get out there, explore downtown, visit every place and look around, ask questions and talk to the locals.

Speaker 1:

Oh fabulous place and look around, ask questions and talk to the locals, oh fabulous. And you've got that great trolley or streetcar as well that can take people up from one end to the other.

Speaker 2:

Yep, Hop on the trolley. You can ride it as long as you want, but once you get off you got to pay again, or you can get an all day pass.

Speaker 1:

Okay, well, that's good to know. Are there any must-see attractions or activities that sometimes visitors overlook?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, there might be a couple of them. If you're in Deadwood, you're obviously interested in what it's about, so the museums are the best way to do it. I would go to the Adams Museum, the Adams House, the Days of 76, the Brothel Museum yeah, the Brothel.

Speaker 1:

Museum. That was a fun museum.

Speaker 2:

Definitely hit up the museums and look around.

Speaker 1:

Okay, okay, and as an insider yourself and refresh my memory, when did you say you moved to Deadwood?

Speaker 2:

I've been here since 2005.

Speaker 1:

2005. Okay, so as an insider, how would you spend a perfect day in Deadwood when you're not working? What would you do? And eat and see.

Speaker 2:

Well, it's kind of hard to do that in short sentences here, but I'd start out with some country fried steak and eggs at one of the diners.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

That always starts off a perfect day. Go to the Adams House and see how people lived. You know maybe some of the elite people back then. They just walked away from it and left it the way it was, like in the 20s. It's amazing. Go to the cemetery, stroll around, go visit Wild Bill and Calamity and pay my respects. Look over the gulch from the lookout up there. Come back down to town. Oh, I don't know. Go have some chiswick. Did you hear about chiswick while you were here? I did not. What is this? Well, chiswick is like a deep fried beef chunks, oh, a little little uh, pieces cubed beef, uh or uh, almost up to a strip. I wouldn't make them quite that big, but it's just deep fried and you can only get that in south dakota. That's where it comes from oh, how interesting.

Speaker 1:

I did not realize that. I saw it on the breakfast menu and I thought how odd that they're frying and bettering and frying, you know, steak to put with for breakfast. But I should have tried it. I'm going.

Speaker 2:

Yep, chislik, rocky Mountain Oysters.

Speaker 1:

You know you can try that while you're out here too.

Speaker 2:

If you've heard of that, you can get that in a lot of places. But you know, yes, excellent, excellent, okay, well and that's great.

Speaker 1:

We'll go ahead and you know that's great for a quick look at Deadwood, but let's go ahead and dive into your experiences and the experiences that it was so interesting and so fun. So I'm curious if you could tell me about Deadwood Alive and what it is and what's your role there.

Speaker 2:

Well, I am the executive director of Deadwood Alive. It's a nonprofit organization. Mainly reenactment is our job. We're here to educate and entertain people that come to town, get them to stick around a little bit, learn more about our town and have a good time while they're doing it.

Speaker 1:

There was like the tour that we went on it. That's one option. But then I also noticed you and another gentleman were, oh, at the restaurant in the parking lot. You were demonstrating different furs or pelts and bone carcasses and things like that. So is that part of your role? And I'm not explaining well what you were doing, but it was fascinating.

Speaker 2:

I like the word carcass. That was a good touch there.

Speaker 1:

And the ugliest puppet you know. You had that. What was that?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, a cougar.

Speaker 1:

A cougar on his hand.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, pretty nasty. Yeah, that does kind of qualify as a carcass. I guess that's one of our performances that we do throughout the day, or presentation, I guess is more like it. It's about the Black Hills wildlife then, and now is what it's called. We talk about animals that used to be here, that are no longer here, that have been hunted out of the area or have moved on because of the humans in the area, and as well as things that are still here. So we have furs and footprints and photographs and drawings and skulls and teeth and antlers, claws anything that you can imagine from all the different animals that reside or did reside here in the hills, so that we can do a hands-on presentation with people you can actually check out. You know, feel what a bear's fur feels like. Hopefully you never feel it any other way you know, but it's just really interesting along those lines.

Speaker 1:

It was very interesting and seeing their paws and the enormous nails you know of the different bears. So that was interesting. Okay, so let's talk about Deadwood history. You know you've got the brothels and you've got gold mining and you've got probably some haunted tours and you've got Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok, and so there's so much to cover. So can you just kind of tell me a little bit about how it became such an iconic Wild West town?

Speaker 2:

iconic Wild West town. Well, you know, like any other boom town of that era, they discover gold or silver or copper or whatever the going thing was at that time. People show up and they want to make some money. They want to get out there and get rich or at least make a living to send money back to their families. So all of these rough and tumble prospectors and gold miners showed up out of nowhere. As soon as they found out about the gold and you know that attracts other people as well Like Wild Bill, he came out here to gamble and try to win money from the miners.

Speaker 2:

You'll find people that come out that were trying to cheat the miners. And then you find people that you know regular business people that come out that were trying to cheat the miners. And then you find people that you know regular business people that come out here. It's like I know they're going to need everything that they couldn't bring with them, so I'm going to provide it and sell it to them. So everybody converged on the area and everybody had money. They were making money, so they were all spending it and there was always somebody there to try to take it off of their hands.

Speaker 1:

It got pretty exciting in the meantime that there were, you know, a lot of, even married women. I mean, there were a lot of women that were working in the brothels and because there was just so, they were finding ways to entice women to come to the town, because there were so few women there Is that. Is that correct?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, initially there was just single men showed up. You know you're not going to take your family out to the rough wild west and try to take care of them and keep an eye on them as well as going out and try to dig for gold. So it was a bunch of single men showed up out here. Well, not much for the ladies. So of course, the oldest profession moved in right away and took up residence and some of the more unscrupulous businessmen would try to persuade more women to come out here with promises of being a theater actor or a dancer or a school marv, and they'd get out here and they'd throw them into that business. And they'd get out here and they'd throw them into that business. Now, later on, as time progressed, it actually just became a part of the community and it wasn't such a horrible, awful, degrading thing that it had started out as when people were being treated so poorly. But did they?

Speaker 1:

not term that part of the town. What was it? The Deadlands, oh, the Badlands, yes.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, we've got the Badlands out east of here, out in South Dakota, and it's pretty rough territory. That's why they come up with the name Badlands, I guess. So a certain section of town is called the Deadwood Badlands because that's kind of where the quote unquote bad stuff would happen. So that was down there.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, very interesting, and you know so many historical figures. I'm curious. You had mentioned Wild Bill Hickok, so I heard that he spent his last three weeks in Deadwood and that I went to see his burial site as well. That was interesting, and that I went to see his burial site as well. That was interesting. So what's the story behind? You know what brought Wild Bill Hickok to Deadwood and how did he find his demise?

Speaker 2:

Well old Wild Bill. He had traveled around and been a lawman in a lot of places and made a few enemies here and there. But he was extremely well-known from the dime novels of the era. If he shot one man, they said he shot 10. He was an extremely brave guy and an incredible shot, quick on the draw, nerves of steel. But he was over all that. He didn't want to be a lawman anymore. He had accidentally shot his own deputy during another gunfight. He snuck up behind him and hollered out his name. He spun and fired and killed his own deputy. He was over it.

Speaker 2:

He had recently gotten married to a lady that actually owned a circus, believe it or not, and he had come here with his friend, charlie Utter, who brought a big wagon train out here to maybe find a little bit of gold or to just sit down and play cards and enjoy a little bit of time and make a little money that way so that he could provide for his new wife. That's basically all he wanted here. But he had a target on his back because of all those days. Somebody always wanted to be the man that shot Wild Bill. And one guy actually succeeded during a card game in Deadwood. That's kind of the biggest thing Wild Bill did for Deadwood was he died here.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh. And Calamity Jane. I've heard that she wanted to be buried next time, but they weren't necessarily involved. Is that the case?

Speaker 2:

She just admired him, or Well, calamity was quite a character. She was kind of a a rough, mannish kind of woman but had a heart of gold. She showed up on the same wagon train with Wild Bill, so they kind of got to know each other a little bit on the way from Cheyenne up into the hills. Now Wild Bill, like I said, was recently married. He had no interest in anybody else, especially someone like Calamity Jane. Now he had been killed and was buried in the cemetery and when she passed away she had said bury me by old Wild Bill, the only man I ever loved. Well, I think it was probably pretty one-sided and he'd probably roll over in his grave if he knew about it, but she got her wish is that.

Speaker 2:

She did get her wish. She's buried right next to him, along with a Potato Creek Johnny, who found a giant gold nugget up here in the hills. He was quite a character as well.

Speaker 1:

Yes, oh, that's wonderful. And we drove up to the cemetery and the views there, I mean someone should go just to walk up and see the views from above, because it was just outstanding, it was spectacular, and so let's go ahead. And is there a particular shootout that occurred that comes to mind?

Speaker 2:

I do have a favorite shootout that happened here in Deadwood and it's one that we reenact during the summer months. At 4 pm, right in the middle of Main Street, within 10 yards of where it actually happened, there was two fellas got into an argument over a game of cards. We don't know if one can, we don't know if one of them accused the other of cheating or how it all happened, but they ended up out on the street and they were going to shoot at each other. One fellow pulled his gun which was a little short pistol, wasn't very accurate and started firing at the other guy. The other guy had an accurate gun and was firing at him as he ducked down behind a wheel on a wagon. As he ducked down behind a wheel on a wagon, the bullets hit the wagon wheel and bounced over his head, and every shot that he shot back at the other guy towards Main Street missed shot out the windows of the building behind him, splattered glass on somebody and cut him, shot a bartender randomly, and they never hit each other at all.

Speaker 2:

Ran out of bullets and the bystanders broke it up and said come on, guys, let's just go have a drink. So they never finished the gunfight, but there was a lot of collateral damage.

Speaker 1:

Oh my goodness, what a time to be alive.

Speaker 2:

Amazing. Well, other than being the bartender, that got shot.

Speaker 1:

Right it just means so much, so much activity going on there and you know, and it's, it's unfortunate, but we can't even touch on how many interesting and fun things there are to do in Deadwood. So I'm hoping listeners will, you know, kind of use this to plan their own trip. But there's, there's way more than we're going to even touch on. But I stayed at the Deadwood Mountain Grand and I know it's a significant landmark in the area. Could you share a little bit of maybe some history behind the hotel and its significance to the community?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Well, up in Leed, which is just three miles up the road, is the Homestake Mine Big business. In fact, they've dug 40 million troy ounces out of the ground just that one company. The building that the Deadwood Mountain Grand is in was actually a part of the Homestake mining process. It was called the Slime Plant.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, what a name, believe it or not.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, the slime that they talk about was actually a mixture of chemicals that was used to leach the gold out of the ore so that they could separate it and then they'd bring it down into the slime plant and they'd separate the chemicals back from the gold and get the gold out of it. So without the slime plant they didn't get the gold. So it was a huge part of the process and a giant building right in the middle of downtown Deadwood and you know people walked past it for generations and it just kept running and chugging out that gold until the 70s when they finally closed it down and went with maybe a less polluting process and moved things back up the hill a little bit.

Speaker 1:

Okay, interesting and it's a beautiful hotel and it's enormous and casinos everywhere in Deadwood but very large casino there and a restaurant and newly renovated hotel. It was a great experience and we got to tour what was previously the slime plant and see that area and also the haunted lamp that doesn't stop moving. That was interesting. So some of your personal favorites and recommendations. Then, as a local historian and a tour guide, you know what are some of your personal favorite spots or hidden gems in Deadwood.

Speaker 2:

Well, I would recommend the Adams Museum if you want to understand the history of Deadwood Excellent, excellent museum all the way from dinosaurs to the modern eras. Outlaw Squares always got something going on. During the summer I personally like going to the Saloon no 10, having a drink and listening to music every night. I don't do it as often as I used to, but it's available there. The Social Club upstairs, a fantastic restaurant I like, Lee Street Station for breakfast and the Miner's Diner. And of course, you know Deadwood Alive, the shootouts and the trial of Jack McCauley. You can't miss that while you're here.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, oh, fabulous. And what's the historic hotel on the main strip there? We had breakfast there one day.

Speaker 2:

The Bullock is downtown, it's a historic building.

Speaker 1:

It's right across from that square where they have live music. Oh, the Franklin Hotel. Yeah the Franklin Hotel.

Speaker 2:

There we go yeah.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, it was stunning. You know the whole interior and the ceilings and they told us about how they had raised the ceilings and I wasn't sure if people were shorter back then or cause I know I'm sorry at the brothel. Looking at some of these women's shoes, I cannot imagine, um, they must've been binding their feet or something, unless they were just very, very tiny women. Just they were, the shoes were so small, but it was wonderful and we had breakfast there and they had like a, a lobster eggs benedict, that just very, very nice. So all the food, you know, and I was fortunate enough to be there for the Forks, corks and Kegs event, so we ate a lot of food.

Speaker 2:

Oh, yeah, yeah, we have hops and hogs coming up soon.

Speaker 1:

Oh.

Speaker 2:

That's beer and bacon.

Speaker 1:

Oh my gosh, I'm going to have to come back for that beer and bacon.

Speaker 2:

Can't beat it.

Speaker 1:

No, it sounds wonderful. Well, do you have any favorite stories or anecdotes from your time guiding visitors through Deadwood? You know you shared some of your favorite shootout, but I just mean either maybe someone's experience seeing it or just a particular story, anything to end us with that really stands out for you.

Speaker 2:

My personal favorite experience from all of the shows and shootouts and trials and everything that we've done. We try to get out and talk to the audience before the shows start, so we're wandering up and down the street talking to the folks sitting on the curb. I was walking up the street at that four o'clock shootout getting things ready and getting everybody all interested and wound up, and there's a little boy crying. He's probably a year and a half old maybe, and his parents are just beside themselves. They don't know what to do. And I walked by and he reached out at me and I reached out and he came to me and I put him on my hip and he quit crying and we walked up and down the street and talked to everybody Perfect, stranger. And the whole crowd just loved it. And then I handed him back to dad and he was just fine then.

Speaker 1:

Oh how fun it just made my day that he would come to a perfect stranger like that, wearing a big hat and everything well, and and everyone, the residents, they're all are very, it very, very friendly people, and so it was, I can imagine, but you especially I can, I can see that, so that's great.

Speaker 2:

Well, you know, I came up here for Sturgis Rally in 2005, or in 2004, actually, and I moved here in 2005. But everybody was so nice in Deadwood that I just had to come and be a part of it. And just so accepting they don't care where you're from or what you do, just don't be a jerk, that's all we want, well, perfect.

Speaker 1:

And speaking of Sturgis, the town just fills up during Sturgis, is that correct?

Speaker 2:

During Sturgis Rally, the first, well, the last week of July and the first couple of weeks of August, we get about a minimum of a half a million motorcyclists up here visiting and roaming around the hills. I can't blame them. It's fantastic riding, the best you'll find anywhere. But I'm over it.

Speaker 1:

Yep, it's noisy.

Speaker 2:

There's no way we can do our performances at that time. There's so many bikes, it's so loud. So we take off for a week there and let them do their thing.

Speaker 1:

Then we come back and finish out the season yeah, and play some poker or go hunting or whatever you know. Take some time off, so you bet well, andy, this is just perfect. Thank you so much, and how. I'll also share this in the show notes. But how can someone learn more about deadwood alive, you know? Sign up for a tour. Where can they see where the exhibitions will be?

Speaker 2:

Well, there's several places to look if you're thinking about coming to Deadwood. The Chamber of Commerce is a huge part of Deadwood and all of their events and planning, so you can look on Deadwoodcom and find out all the big events, everything going on up here.

Speaker 2:

You can go to OutlawSquarecom and find out all the things they've got going mainly all summer long. They just took down the ice skating rink that had been going all winter and now they're ready for the summertime and concerts and such. Check out the museums at DeadwoodHistorycom. And then our website is pretty simple deadwoodalivecom. We're building a brand new website right now. It has our scheduling on it, everything about what we do, how to get in touch with us, how to buy tickets. You can do it all right through there and it's the easiest way to find it all out.

Speaker 1:

Excellent, excellent and just I should have asked this in the quick questions. But is there a best time of year you think for to visit? You know when is it prettiest, or you know just the best time? I mean obviously not the last week of July.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I. If you are a motorcycle enthusiast, I recommend that you see Sturgis Rally at least once and find out if you really like it or not. There's a lot of crowds and it's really an amazing experience. But the general public that doesn't want the other half million motorcyclists around. I would recommend coming in June or late August, early September, when things are a little bit slower but everything's still open. If you get, from Memorial Day to Labor Day is the main season and catch either end of that and you'll be in great shape, great weather and everything's open Fantastic Well, thank you so much for speaking with me and for the tour in Deadwood and for sharing with us some of the stories of Deadwood.

Speaker 1:

I appreciate it.

Speaker 2:

You bet. If you ever need anything else, just give me a shout and I'd be glad to help out.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Global Journeys with Jill Dutton, the captivating travel podcast that takes you on an extraordinary adventure around the world. I'm your host, jill Dutton, and I am thrilled to be your guide through the mesmerizing tapestry of cultures, landscapes and experiences that await us. Global Journeys with Jill Dutton is more than just a travel podcast. It's an exploration of humanity itself. Through the power of storytelling, we illuminate the lives of the remarkable individuals we encounter along the way, whether it's through the eyes of a fishing guide, a distillery owner, a mixologist, a historian, chef, or even a farmer. Each person we meet adds a rich layer to the narrative of culture and place. In this podcast, we embark on a transformative journey where the focus goes beyond the typical tourist attractions. Instead, we dive deep into the hearts and souls of the places we visit, uncovering the hidden gems and untold stories that make each destination truly unique. Join me as we venture off the beaten path, seeking authenticity, connection and a deeper understanding of the world we inhabit. Together, we'll unravel the tapestry of cultures, one story at a time.

Speaker 1:

Although my writing career began in the late 90s, when I created and launched a wellness publication called Evolving Magazine, since 2015, I've worked as a travel writer on a mission to seek out the locally celebrated foods, liquor, trends, outdoor activities and stories of those I meet along the way. My work has been published in Wine Enthusiast, afar, woman's World, first for Women, insider, road Trippers, modern Farmer, chilled Magazine and many more digital and print publications. I'm also the creator of Global Plates print publications. I'm also the creator of Global Plates the People we Meet, the Food they Eat, a syndicated column. Creating this podcast is the next step in my journey of sharing the stories of the people I've met along the way. So pack your curiosity, leave your preconceived notions behind and let's embark on global journeys with Jill Dutton, where each episode promises to inspire, educate and awaken the wanderlust within us all.

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