Who was Wild Bill Hickok?
Wild Bill is probably the most famous Deadwood resident, even though he was only in town a few short weeks. James Butler Hickok arrived in Deadwood, along with Colorado Charlie Utter and Calamity Jane, in July of 1876. He was a well-known gambler and gunslinger, participating in many shootouts before coming to Deadwood.

He was killed on August 2, 1876 in Nuttal & Mann’s Saloon when Jack McCall shot him from behind while playing poker. When he died, Wild Bill was holding a pair of aces and eights, that series of cards became known to poker players all around the world as the “Dead Man’s Hand.” In 1979, Wild Bill Hickok was inducted as a charter member into the World Series of Poker’s Hall of Fame.

You can see Wild Bill’s gravesite at Mount Moriah Cemetery. You can also find a variety of Wild Bill statues, painting and likenesses throughout modern-day Deadwood.

About the Cemetery:
Situated on a mountainous plateau overlooking Deadwood Gulch is historic Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Established in 1878 by the Lawrence County Commission, Mt. Moriah is the final resting place of western legends, murderers, madams, and pillars of Deadwood’s early economic development.

The cemetery is more than just a graveyard. It offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy a Late Victorian cemetery set in the backdrop of the northern Black Hills. The paved roads in the cemetery provide an excellent opportunity to explore the site.

If you are going to visit Mt. Moriah Cemetery, please set aside a minimum of one half hour to view the celebrity graves. Additional information on the history of the cemetery is located in the Mt. Moriah Cemetery Visitor Center. In addition to a fifteen minute interpretative video, feel free to peruse the interpretive panels focusing on cemetery history, native and introduced plant species, cemetery symbolism and death statistics within Deadwood from 1875 to 1900.

Please remember, Mt. Moriah Cemetery is sacred place and should be treated with respect. Please take only photographs and leave nothing but memories.

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