For a city that had its heyday from 1876 to 1879, a lot still happens in Deadwood, South Dakota. And Adam’s Museum captures the stories of the past 150 years for visitors to the Black Hills.
What does the welcome message from William Emery Adams say?
My name is William Emery Adams, known around here as W.E. I arrived in 1877 and started a grocery business with my brother, James, in the roughest part of this wild gold rush town. I was 23 and wanted adventure. I got it.
James and I did very well, even though our store and the entire downtown burned to the ground in 1879. We rebuilt in brick and kept expanding for the next 40 years. At first, all of our goods came on bull trains from cities 200 miles away. Main Street was often clogged with oxen, freight wagons, and stacks of crates like these.
Most of our infamous gold camp grew into a modern city with electricity, telephones, railroads, and proper Victorian fashions. Main Street remained a notorious destination for people to spend their money any way they pleased.
Deadwood was a fascinating place full of exciting characters and hard-working people. It’s where I raised my family and based my business empire. I loved it all.
I hope you enjoy the story of my city.
~ Adam’s Museum
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
My favorite exhibits were the wood carvings. I especially loved the detail and beauty of the table and chairs made by Anthime Leveque. He used a process called marquetry.
Fast Fact: Marquetry uses small wood pieces to create surface decorations. The pieces may be cut with a knife or small saw.
Woodwork done with marquetry uses thin layers of veneer (thin decorative wood attached to coarser materials). Leveque’s pieces are a full quarter inch thick. The table and chairs below include 4,500 sections.
Leveque’s most ambitious creation used 250,000 pieces of veneer!
The museum also featured the John Sogge Collection. Sogge was a wood carver from nearby Spearfish. He learned carving from his father and combined the skill with his love of horses and horse-drawn vehicles. His carvings almost always included both animals and people in addition to the vehicles.
What’s in the Adams Museum?
W.E. Adams founded the Adams Museum in 1930 and donated the building to the City of Deadwood. While the two-story, 1892 Queen Anne-style home isn’t overly large, it has original furnishings, stained-glass windows, modern 19th century plumbing, and more.
Deadwood’s story begins in 1874 when George Armstrong Custer illegally seized the Black Hills from the Lakota people. Why? For the gold, which some said was there in unimaginable amounts.
Fast Fact: The world's longest continuously producing gold mine was located in Lead just 3.5 miles from Deadwood. In 1936 a photograph of the Black Hills from 72,000 feet up was the first image of the earth's curvature. For three decades, missile sites surrounding the Black Hills made South Dakota a global nuclear power.
~ Adams Museum
But back to history. Early reports from Deadwood labeled it “the wickedest city on earth.”
So, it’s no wonder many larger-than-life people are included in the Legends Gallery. Here, you’ll meet people like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.
And then, there’s the Risky Business exhibit with its activities of questionable repute. Exhibits dive into Deadwood’s history in gambling, prostitution and crime. Here, you’ll meet people like Poker Alice who, while outliving a number of husbands, dealt faro and ran a brothel on the side.
Actually, brothels survived in Deadwood from 1876 until 1980. Then, federal agents raided those still open and closed them for good. Today, you can visit the Brothel Deadwood for a peek behind the closed doors.
And when it comes to casinos and gambling, Deadwood’s historic main street and surrounding area are still home to 20+!
The Building a City exhibit takes you through the natural history of the area, including its ancient fossils. In 1934 Charles Haas and his son, Arthur, discovered a plesiosaur you can see. There are also displays of ammonites and other fossils, along with geological maps.
Of course when it comes to building cities, a lot revolves around transportation and settlement. Like other parts of the west, things changed ones train tracks were rolled out. The museum features an 1879 Homestead Mining Co. train locomotive.
1879 Homestead Mining Co. locomotive. Photo by David Aksomitis.
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
We visited the Adams Museum on a stay in Deadwood for the ISOC Amsoil Championship Snocross Series race. Always on the lookout for historic experiences, we stayed in the Hotel By Gold Dust. It was great! The hotel even dropped us off and picked us up at the race track, so we didn’t have to drive.
Our favorite meal of the weekend was at Mavericks Steakhouse in the historic downtown. While David had his usual steak, I enjoyed a shrimp dinner.
The great thing about Deadwood’s historic main street is that it’s easily walkable–summer or winter. We found lots going on too, as we stopped to see an outside dog show. Just check out their list of events to plan your trip to Deadwood.
Who Should Visit the Adams Museum?
The Adams Museum provides a great orientation to Deadwood and the surrounding areas. Whether you’re interested in its natural history or notorious history, you’ll find what you’re looking for.
There’s a lot packed into a small area, so the museum may not be the best choice for families with small children.
A lot of the information is included in signage so it isn’t a museum to rush through. We spent a couple of hours digging for “nuggets”.
The museum is wheelchair accessible on all levels including the first floor. It has handicapped bathrooms and service animals are allowed.
How Do You Visit the Adams Museum?
The Adams Museum is located in downtown Deadwood, South Dakota.
Parking: There is street parking, however, the streets are often full. We left our car in the hotel parking lot and walked everywhere. It's the easiest when big events like the Snocross race are on.
Street address: 54 Sherman Street, Deadwood, South Dakota.
The museum is open year round, but check days and hours on the Web at: Adams Museum
Keep up to date with what’s happening with the Adams Museum Facebook page.
Take a virtual tour of the Adams Museum with NewsCenter1 on YouTube.
Plan your visit to the Adams Museum with Google Maps.
Find More Museum Reviews for South Dakota
Check out more reviews for museum attractions in South Dakota on guide2museums.com.
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