HBO’sDeadwoodis a fictionalized portrayal of a real city in South Dakota that became legendary thanks to its prominence in tales of the Wild West. As depicted in the show, many iconic frontier folk heroes such as Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, and Wyatt Earp spent time in Deadwood (andone of them even died there). The two lead characters of the series, Seth Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) and Al Swearengen (Ian McShane), are also based on real people. But to flesh out the town’s evolution from a ramshackle, lawless tract of land to a bustling and (relatively) civilized city, the show created a number of fictional characters that helped demonstrate the advancement of commerce, law enforcement, medicine, and culture. As we take a closer look at the history of Deadwood, as well as the lives of its two most notable long-term residents, we’ll see that a surprising amount of the show is based in historical fact.
Deadwood Is a Real Town in South Dakota
Initially, as depicted in the show, the settlement of Deadwood was illegal. The Lakota people had a rightful claim over the land thanks to theTreaty of Fort Laramie, signed in 1868. But in 1874, when General George Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills, all bets were off. A gold rush ensued in which men and women from all over the country arrived in Deadwood seeking fortune. This resulted in the (unofficial) town of Deadwood being created to house, feed, clothe, supply, and entertain the gold rushers. In 1876, when the events of the first season take place, there were already tens of thousands of people settled in Deadwood.
Consistent with its portrayal in the show, Deadwood soon became renowned for its crime, gambling operations, and brothels. Notorious madams such as Dora DuFran, Mollie Johnson, and Madame Mustache all made heaps of money through their sex work operations. It’s estimated that in 1876, as much as90% of the entire female population in Deadwoodwere “painted ladies,” otherwise known as sex workers. Unfortunately, many of these women lead tragic lives. Laudanum addiction was common, as were acts of violence. Suicide attempts were frequent enough that the town doctor always carried a stomach pump when called late at night to attend to an emergency. Madam Dora DuFran, however, managed to make her mark on history. She was the inspiration for the character Joanie Stubbs (played byKim Dickens). In 1932,DuFran wrote a short bookabout fellow Deadwood resident Calamity Jane. This book remains the only surviving work about Jane written by a woman who actually knew her.
Al Swearengen Owned and Operated the Gem Theater
In addition to laudanum, opium was also a hot commodity in Deadwood circa 1876, and the local market was controlled by none other than Al Swearengen. In 1877,Swearengen opened the Gem Theater, a saloon and brothel that also hosted boxing matches and live music. Although it may seem impossible to believe, the real Swearengen was probably worse than his fictional counterpart. “I think he was a real vicious bastard,” saidJerry Bryant, a historical archeologist who studied Swearengen’s life and death. “I think he had a heart of stone.” Swearengen is suspected of having committed several murders and is known to have exploited and abused the women who worked in his brothel. Historians have even accused him of running a “white slave operation” by luring women to the Gem with offers of respectable employment and then forcing them into sex work. Nonetheless, the Gem was highly profitable, netting anywhere between $5,000 and $10,000 per night during its heyday, according toThe Real Deadwoodbook byJohn Ames. The real Swearengen met a different fate than the fictional one. He left Deadwood in 1899 after the Gem burned down for the second time. Five years later, he was murdered, found bludgeoned and left for dead on a street in Denver. It’s unknown who killed him, but given his long history of brutal criminality, there are certainly plenty of candidates.
Seth Bullock and Deadwood’s Attempts at Law Enforcement
As depicted in the show, Seth Bullock arrived at the settlement of Deadwood intending to open a hardware store with his business partner Sol Star (played byJohn Hawkes). Bullock was the former sheriff of Lewis and Clark County, Montana, and as Deadwood continued to be plagued by rampant crime and violence, Bullock emerged as the most obvious choice to become the camp’s sheriff. In 1877, shortly before the grand opening of the Gem Theater, he wasappointed sheriff by the Governor of the Dakota Territory. In his nine-month tenure as Deadwood’s sole law enforcement official, Bullock tried his best to keep the town’s crime under control, and he deputized several people to aid in his efforts. Eventually, a special election was called so that Deadwood residents could formally elect their own sheriff. Bullock ran as a Republican for the office of sheriff twice, in 1877 and 1878, butlost both timesto the Democratic candidate.
Luckily for Bullock, he later became friends with President Theodore Roosevelt, who appointed him as the U.S. Marshal for South Dakota in 1905. He would be reappointed to the same position again in 1909 by President William Howard Taft. After his hardware store burned to the ground in 1894, Bullock built theBullock Hotel, which amazingly still operates to this day.
‘Deadwood’s Swearing Really F*cking Paid Off for HBO
’Deadwood’s foul-mouthed dialogue might have caused controversy for HBO, but it set a new standard for the genre and network.
Modern-Day Deadwood Exists as a Tourist Town
Nowadays, Deadwood is primarily a tourist town filled with casinos, breweries, and plenty of historical attractions. Historians at the town’sAdams Museumare some of the foremost experts in Deadwood’s history. Exhibits there offer up detailed evidence and stories of Wild West legends such as Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and Seth Bullock. At the Mount Morah Cemetery, you can see the final resting places of Hickok and Jane. And if merely watchingDeadwoodis not enough of an adrenaline rush for you, you can witness somerecreated shootoutsto get a taste of what life in the real Deadwood might’ve been like.
