TROUPE IMMERSES VISITORS IN TOWN’S HISTORY
Deadwood Alive!
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rom the Main Street gunfights to the Trial of Jack McCall and from the Outlaw Square stage to parades and other productions, Deadwood Alive immerses visitors in the town’s rich and storied history, bringing to life a rough and tumble past. “Deadwood Alive brings our history to life on Main Street throughout the summer, which has been very popular and we are expanding that to spring and fall seasons,” said Deadwood Historic Preservation Officer Kevin Kuchenbecker. “They now have a full-time executive director and are continuing to add programming, such as the fourth year of the stagecoach operation and adding more programming between shootouts.” Deadwood Alive treasurer Mike Rodman said the troupe operates on an approximate $200,000 overall operating budget, most of which comes from the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and the city’s bed and booze tax, Trial of Jack McCall and stagecoach ticket sales. “We are a non-profit,” he added. “Everything we get, we plow right back
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Story and photos by Jaci Conrad Pearson
into the operation and trying to improve it. We’re all about entertaining guests and telling Deadwood’s history through historically accurate re-enactments.” In an effort to have a larger presence during Deadwood’s shoulder season, Deadwood Alive Executive Director Andy Mosher, a 12-year veteran of the troupe, was brought on full-time. “Our goal is to interact with the tourists that come to town, our guests, teach them about our unique history, entertain and educate and maybe get them to stick around town a little bit longer,” Mosher said. “Our ultimate goal is to get them to appreciate Deadwood and the Black Hills as much as we do.” During the summer, Deadwood Alive is comprised of 15 employees, including actors, those who staff the information chuckwagon and stagecoach, as well as set-up help. This fall, Deadwood Alive will again help bring Outlaw Square to life. “We will be performing Oct. 8 through Nov. 20 at the Outlaw square. We’ll be doing the Lawman’s Patrol.
We’re also going to be doing Gold, Guns, and Grubstake. It’s the history of pre-1899 firearms,” Mosher said. “We’re also going to be doing a couple of editions of Meet the Gunslingers. Kids can come and meet us. We’ve got a trading card we’ll hand out to them, we’ll answer questions, tell stories, just hang out with them. We’re doing that a couple of times a day,” FA LL SCHEDULE FR IDAYS A N D SAT U R DAYS OCT. 8-NOV. 20 AT OU T L AW SQUA R E
• Noon “Lawman’s Patrol,” Tour Deadwood’s Main Street with a Deadwood Lawman. Discover the true stories of gold, gambling, shootouts, destructive fires and how to hang on to your money and your life. $15 per person, call 1-800-344-8826 - must book 24 hours in advance. • 1 p.m. “Gold, Guns and Grubstake,” the evolution of pre-1900 firearms. Join Deadwood Alive as they explore the evolution of pre-1899 firearms. Learn about and see examples of: early trapper flintlocks of the 1700s and early 1800s, percussion cap rifles, pistols
Destination Deadwood©
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Fall, Winter • 2021–2022
