Beginning with the gold rush of 1876, the northern Black Hills became home to an assortment of prospectors, entrepreneurs, gamblers, and criminals. Gold brought them to the area. Gals followed the miners. Guns often ruled in the rough-and-tumble communities where it took guts to succeed. Through the photographs, newspaper accounts, and text, Gold, Gals, Guns, Guts recounts the history of the Black Hills communities.
After just two seasons, the HBO drama Deadwood has become one of cable's highest rated series, a symbol of how great television can be when pushed to its limits. From the masterful acting to the surprisingly credible re-creation of a Western gold-rush town to the provocative dialogue, Deadwood is television made at the highest level of craft. Now, through the eyes of series creator David Milch, the Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning drama comes to life like never before. Imaginatively rendered and lavishly illustrated, Deadwood- Stories of the Black Hills is an unprecedented look at the people, places, and history of Deadwood, as seen and imagined by the show's creator, chief writer, and executive producer David Milch. Through in-depth discussions of the themes and motivations that run throughout Deadwood - from violence to gold to profane language - Milch sheds light on the characters and events of Deadwood. Fresh interviews with the Deadwood cast, never before seen photographs of the show, and dozens of historical photographs and objects vividly bring the most dangerous settlement in the West to life. Much more than a companion to the series, this book is an integral part of the show's storied mythology, as it examines, in great detail, the fascinating intersection of historical fact and inventive fiction - from Custer's opening of the Black Hills (and defeat by the Sioux), to the compelling story of the frontier Chinese, who endured years of racism in order to survive in the West. Entertaining and illuminating, Deadwood
"Given that his contemporaries hailed businessman James K. P. Miller as "the foremost citizen of Deadwood" and stated that his "name will always be coupled with the prosperity of Deadwood and the Black Hills," it would seem that he should be as well remembered as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, Harris Franklin, and W. E. Adams. Yet, few in Deadwood or elsewhere have ever heard of James K. P. Miller. Dime novels did not make him a Western legend, as they did Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. No buildings carry his name, unlike Bullock and Franklin who have hotels named after them and Adams who has a museum and historic house. Similarly, Miller did not gain fame by dealing with outlaws, like Bullock, by making a fortune, like Franklin, or through philanthropy, like Adams. Miller is not even buried in Deadwood. Though time has erased most evidence of Miller's activities, he refused to let the gold camp wither away when its fortunes faded in the 1880s. By advancing several large projects, persuading outside investors to join him, and convincing railroads to build in, Miller became the town's preeminent promoter and developer. These actions brought a permanency that had never existed before. To some residents, Miller was the "savior of Deadwood.""--