CALENDAR OF EVENTS

January – March 2023

January 19: Preservation Thursday:  Mileposts on the Mickelson Trail – One hundred and ten miles of former railroad line through the Black Hills have again transformed the region – the first time was as a pioneering railroad operation and since 1989 again as a recreational mecca setting the mark for economic growth. South Dakota Humanities Council Speakers’ Bureau Scholar, photographer, museum curator, and railroad enthusiast Rick Mills provides a varied PowerPoint look at discussion about the people, places, and trains which have made the Mickelson Trail popular for over 130 years.  Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; the event is free.

January 28: Chinese New Year – Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year! Celebrate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit. Participants will create a project to take home, eat Chinese style food for lunch, and be a part of a red envelope ceremony. For students in grades K-6. Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  The program is free to participants, but reservations are required.  Please call Tia Stenson-Cunningham, Deadwood History Archivist, at 605-722-4800 for reservations.

February 16: Preservation Thursday:  A Path Les Traveled – Black Hills nature photographer Les Heiserman will be showcasing some of the photos he has taken of Spearfish Canyon, the Black Hills, and western South Dakota.  Heiserman has lived in South Dakota for most of his life and is still fascinated by the landscape, the wildlife, and history. He hopes to share his passion for the Black Hills with his photos. See what he sees, on “a path Les traveled.”  Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; free for members and $5 for non-members.

February 24: Calamity’s Shindig: Deadwood History’s Fundraiser – No one threw a better party than Calamity Jane.  Join us for musical entertainment by Kenny Putnam, Dalyce Sellers, and Mike Connor; Sarah Carlson as the adventurous wildcat of the West, Calamity Jane, and Deadwood Alive’s Andy Mosher as Marshal Con Stapleton; heavy hors d’oeuvres catered by Cheyenne Crossing; cash bar, and auctions.  Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.; admission $50 per person.  Advance reservations required.  Purchase online at DeadwoodHistory.com or call 605-722-4800.

March 9: Preservation Thursday: The Lynchings of Ella Watson and Elizabeth Taylor: connecting gender, violence, and land reform laws in the 19th Century West – Dr. Renee Laegreid, professor of the American West at the University of Wyoming and author of Riding Pretty: Rodeo Royalty in the West, will be discussing the lives and tragic deaths of Wyoming’s Ellen “Cattle Kate” Watson and Nebraska’s Elizabeth Taylor, two pioneer women who were hanged as cattle thieves in the late 1880s. Learn how these violent executions shed light on the darker history of the Western cattle industry and women in the West.  Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center; 12:00 p.m.; free for members and $5 for non-members.