Which History?

In the 1920s and ‘30s, the town fathers of Deadwood, SD were looking for new revenue streams. They thought tourism might be the answer. But their view of what would be presented was pretty limited: the start of civic organizations, the construction of various official buildings, etc. Potential tourists knew of Deadwood because of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Deadwood Dick—in other words, gunfights and saloons and the Wild West. Local officials finally realized that they had to offer the public what they wanted and began hyping the seamier history of the town.