After our harrowing hiking adventure, we were all hungry. We piled in the car and headed along Spearfish canyon to the infamous town of Deadwood.
Deadwood has been on my bucket list for years. I love old west towns! Prior to our trip I read up on my Deadwood history and discovered that the famous Charlie Utter of Colorado was the reason that Wild Bill Hickok ended up in Deadwood. He talked his friend into joining their wagon train from Colorado to Deadwood. It is fun to think that we probably traveled the same route in our car as they did long ago on their horses and wagons.
On the way to South Dakota, I tried my best to entertain the kids with stories of the wild west. Gunfights, marshall law and the like... I hoped my enthusiasm could carry a wave of interest. No dice.
Deadwood is normally a bustling tourist destination filled with casinos, trinket shops and the like. Today it was a literal ghost town! You could walk down the middle of Main St and not see a sole around. It was kind of neat and spooky at the same time.
I had so many plans for us in Deadwood...I wanted to go the museum and check out Saloon No.10. I also couldn't miss the cementary where Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried. I could have dragged my family all over that town for hours.
Unfortunately our hungry stomachs ran the show, instead of checking out all the tourist destitations, we were on a strict mission to eat.
As we wandered from empty storefront to empty storefront, I began to wonder if we would be able to even find anyplace open for lunch. We stopped to take a photograph with this friendly miner dude when a couple of ladies walked by. They were the only people we had seen all day. Zach told them we were looking for lunch and they recommended a "deli" on the other side of town.
So instead of touring all the quaint (but closed) stops I had planned, we were off on a eating mission. The restaurant was a few blocks hike but well worth it.
This restaurant called Jacob's Brewhouse was like eating in the finest art gallery. I guess Jacob is a famous artist in town and he is now dabbling as a restauranteur. The food was so amazing that we all completely over did it!
Zach and I polished off 3 large tacos each and Lauren and Marc shared a gigantic plate of brisket nachos. We were all so stuffed that sightseeing sort of went to the wayside.
We did checkout an awesome cafe/ glass blowing studio. Zach was enthralled with watching the glassblowing artist at work. While, Lauren was enthralled with the art, insisting on picking up every fragile $100 piece of glass. I followed her around like an overcautious mother follows a toddler at the playground. "Careful...gentle...don't touch!"
As the rest of the family made a beeline for the car, I woefully wandered the alleyways of Deadwood reading every little historic plaque that I could find. Where everyone else saw a closed up town, I revealed in the spirit and energy that never leaves a place like this.
I wanted to sit and imagine the gun fights, whorehouse poker games and fine ladies promenading up and down the boardwalks. I guess a trip back to Deadwood is in order for me. Next time when the town is actually open and alive with gunslinger theater reenactments!
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