Saloon No. 10

From murder during a poker game to the modern gambling industry, Saloon No. 10 has a "rough-and-tumble" history as long as Deadwood, South Dakota itself. It is infamous today as the site where Wild Bill Hickok, an Old West folk hero, was murdered during a poker game, and was frequented by Old West and local historic figures in its early years. Although the original building, little more than a wooden shed, burned down during an 1879 mining fire, the modern building survives to this day, with pictures and artifacts serving as a testament to Deadwood's early decades and Gold Rush history.

Saloon No. 10 opened in about 1876, the same year the town of Deadwood was established. It took its name from the site on which it was originally located, which was called "placer claim number 10" on maps. In its early days, Saloon No. 10 was frequented by famous patrons from Calamity Jane and Buffalo Bill Cody to Potato Creek Johnny and Colorado Charlie Utter. Today, though, it is perhaps best known for being the location of the infamous murder of Old West figure Wild Bill Hickok. In August of 1976, Hickok came into the saloon for a poker game, taking the only seat left in the business, which kept his back to the door. Jack McCall, who had lost several rounds of poker to Wild Bill the day before, wandered in, drunk, and shot Hickok in the back of the head with a .45 revolver, shouting "Take that, damn you!" Hickok died instantly, and McCall tried to escape on a horse but was apprehended. Despite McCall claiming he did not recall the event, he was sentenced to death by Judge Granville Bennett of the federal court in Yankton; he was executed the following year for the murder, the first man known to face this punishment from federal officials in Dakota territory. Hickok is buried here in Deadwood at Mt. Moriah, and McCall was buried in Yankton. As a famous piece of local history, the murder of Wild Bill Hickok is reenacted in play form at the Deadwood Masonic Temple every summer evening except Sundays.

The original Saloon No. 10 burned down in 1879 during a fire at the nearby mining camp. It was rebuilt as the Old Style Saloon No. 10 that stands here today. There was a decline during the Great Depression, but the saloon was revived in the 1960s under the ownership of Llewellyn "Lew" Keehn, who "turned the bar into a monument to Deadwood's rough-and-tumble past, filling it with historic photographs and local artifacts." Lew also pushed for legalized gambling, which today makes up much of Deadwood's economy and tourism industry. Today, thanks to Lew's work in keeping Deadwood's history alive within Saloon No. 10, the establishment sometimes markets itself as "the only museum in the world with a bar."

Original Location of Saloon No. 10, Roadside America. Accessed April 23rd, 2023. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/59155.

Attractions - Saloon #10, Deadwood, South Dakota. Accessed April 23rd, 2023. https://www.deadwood.com/business/attractions/saloon-10/.

Llewellyn "Lew" Keehn, Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission. Accessed May 5th, 2023. https://www.cityofdeadwood.com/hpc/page/llewellyn-lew-keehn.