Project #3 - White Rocks
This overlook provides a view of Deadwood from the eastern canyon ridge above Mount Moriah Cemetery. These striking rock formations tower over the city and offer a dramatic perspective of the surrounding landscape. note: this location can only be accessed with climbing gear.
Fun Nuggets:
During Deadwood’s early years, several cemeteries and burial grounds served the rapidly growing community. Some victims of contagious diseases, including smallpox, were buried separately because of concerns about the spread of infection. The town’s primary cemeteries were Ingleside Cemetery and, later, Mount Moriah Cemetery. Many prospectors, miners, settlers, prostitutes, and children were buried at Ingleside Cemetery.
After 1879, many of the remains from Ingleside Cemetery were exhumed and re located at Mount Moriah Cemetery, including those of Wild Bill Hickok and other notable figures such as Potato Creek Johnny, Preacher Henry Weston Smith, and Madam Dora DuFran. Local legends and paranormal reports have contributed to the cemetery's reputation, with some visitors claiming to have heard children laughing or voices speaking in unfamiliar languages when no one else was present. Although many graves were relocated, some burial sites from Deadwood's earliest cemeteries were never fully documented, and human remains are occasionally discovered during modern excavation and construction projects.
Seth Bullock is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery near the top of a steep ridge overlooking Deadwood. His grave, which he shares with his wife, Martha, was intentionally positioned to face Mount Roosevelt across the valley. The stone observation tower on Mount Roosevelt was dedicated in honor of his close friend, Theodore Roosevelt.
Calamity Jane is also buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery. She died in 1903 and was laid to rest beside Wild Bill Hickok, reportedly in accordance with her wishes. Some historians and local traditions suggest that her burial next to Hickok was intended as a final joke at his expense, given his limited interest in her romantic claims during his lifetime. The image shows Calamity Jane posing near Hickok's grave.
Deadwood's First Cemetery (Ingleside), 1876–1878
Wild Bill Hickok’s first grave headstone has had several different versions over the years.
Seth Bullock’s grave site in Mt Moriah Cemetery.
I return almost every year with a tribute of a Canadian quarter and perhaps some fresh ammunition. ;-}