Historic preservationists, Main Street Deadwood, the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, and a Business Improvement District (BID) are coming together to revitalize downtown Deadwood, South Dakota and help visitors and locals alike appreciate its heritage.
Historic photographs instead of unsightly green utility boxes and visitor information from the back of an authentic former chuck wagon are two enhancements coming to Deadwood’s historic district.
In a related item, the commission also approved a historic preservation request to spend up to $13,000 from the HP Public Education/Advocacy line item to develop a chuck wagon from Hansen Wheel and Wagon Shop into the portable visitor information center in partnership with the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and BID 7.
The Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, along with the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission are taking the lead in this effort.
The Deadwood City Commission recently approved a business improvement district (BID) 7 request to allow a $10,000 expenditure from the fund to Deadwood Revitalization for utility wraps in the downtown historic district and to assist in funding a portable visitor center kiosk. The wraps will contain large historic photos of Deadwood to both beautify and educate.
Imagine an entire city on the National Historic Register. What you’ll see in Deadwood today is a careful, accurate restoration of a historically significant city.
Deadwood’s extensive Victorian architecture is unique to the West. While the gold rush of 1876 brought the likes of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane to the city, it also provided the wealth to construct a thriving commercial center in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Photo by Hanson Wheel & Wagon Shop (hansenwheel.com)