1989: Gambling Starts Its Return to Deadwood
On this date, April 11, 1989, Deadwood residents voted to legalize gambling in their historic community.
Deadwood Favors Gambling
Voters overwhelmingly approved a return to legalized gambling Tuesday in this historic Black Hills town, where Wild Bill Hickock was shot to death in a frontier card game. City leaders hope games of chance will revive Deadwood's economy. The measure to legalize poker, blackjack and slot machines received 690 votes, or 75 percent, in favor to 112 votes against. The measure needed 60 percent to pass.

Reader Comments (1)
Dodge City would otherwise be nothing but another rest room stop on the Kansas plains. But they readily exploited their legends.
So go Deadwood!
And tune in again!