No Deadbeats in Deadwood!

Well, maybe there are some deadbeats in Deadwood, but we didn't see anyone sleeping on the streets like we did in Portland last summer.  We did see a lot of other tourists browsing the shops and walking down the main street.  I know some of them were on tour buses because I had recognized a lady that was at Wall Drug the day before.  She definitely had on a wig that had way too much hair, and that caught my eye both days.  Let's just say that "senior" ladies don't have lush, thick, curly hair like they did when they were in high school and leave it at that.

 Deadwood has a colorful and interesting past, and most of the buildings here have been either well preserved or restored to their former grandeur.  Years ago, the town was deteriorating and they came up with an innovative way to fund the restoration of the town by allowing gambling!  In 1989, gambling was declared legal, and the first five years pumped $30 million dollars into the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission.  

This sign caught my eye and I can think of a few people who maybe the beer was named after!

 Signs like this one are seen above the windows and doors of the old buildings.  As history tells it, Wild Bill Hickok always sat with his back to the wall, and had his right had free if he needed to fire his pistol.  However, one fateful day, his friends cajoled him into sitting with his back to the front door.  Wrong decision.....he was shot in the back while playing cards.  Guess we'll never know if he had the winning hand....

Don't you just love this picture of Patty and Don?  We all were laughing, as well as a group of ladies behind us.  I still have a hard time picturing Don with blue hot pants on.....

 From the side it looks like he has an extra pair of legs (kind of like that two-headed calf in Montana)!

We knew before we got to Deadwood that we wanted to eat at Kevin Costner's restaurant called Diamond Lil's.  It wasn't easy to find, since it isn't located on the street level and there is only a small door on the street side.  Patty had the address on her phone, and I had seen the picture of the front of the building on Facebook, which made it easier to locate.  You enter via the door with the blue shade above it and walk up a flight of stairs to the second story.

 The lunch was good and we enjoyed at looking at the different pictures on the wall from his various films, plus the original outfits.

 After lunch, we walked around town, trying to get rid of some of the calories we had accumulated. Don and Patty were interested in the large scale at the old railroad station.  They finally gave up trying to make it work, especially since it over estimated their weight by a lot of pounds!

 I never fail to delight in taking pictures of the beautiful old buildings where ever we go.  The same was true of Deadwood, the buildings proudly displaying their intricate details and choice of colors.  As they say, "They don't build them like they used to".