Mount Moriah Cemetery (South Dakota)

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Mount Moriah Cemetery
Mount Moriah Cemetery with Wild Bill.jpg
Wild Bill Hickok's grave overlooking Mount Moriah Cemetery
Mount Moriah Cemetery (South Dakota)
Details
Established1880s
Location
Deadwood, South Dakota
Country United States
Coordinates 44°22′34″N103°43′30″W / 44.376°N 103.725°W / 44.376; -103.725
Owned byCity of Deadwood
No. of graves3,000+
Website Official website
Find a Grave Mount Moriah Cemetery

Mount Moriah Cemetery on Mount Moriah in Deadwood, South Dakota, is the burial place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock and other notable figures of the Wild West.

Contents

By tradition, the American flag flies over the cemetery 24 hours a day, rather than merely from sunrise to sunset. [1]

History

In the early years of Deadwood, there were two graveyards: The Ingelside Cemetery, which was part of the way up Mount Moriah and was filled quickly in the first few years it was open, and the Catholic Cemetery. Many prospectors, miners, settlers, prostitutes and children were buried within the Ingelside Cemetery, alongside Wild Bill Hickok and Preacher Smith. [2]

Early photograph of the grave of Wild Bill Hickok Steve and Charlie Utter.jpg
Early photograph of the grave of Wild Bill Hickok

In the 1880s it was determined that the land where Ingelside Cemetery was located could be better used for housing. Most of the bodies there were moved up the mountain to Mount Moriah and re-interred. However, since many graves were unmarked or unknown some were not moved. Today it is not uncommon for people working in their garden or remodelling a basement or shed to find human bones as a leftover from the Ingelside Cemetery days. [3]

Cemetery sections

The cemetery has many distinct sections. There are four different sections in the graveyard labelled potter's field, where the graves of unknown people or settlers that came from Ingelside were buried without a stone or marker. One section is labelled as a mass grave site. A fire burned down a lumber mill, killing eleven men sleeping there at the time. Another section is labelled the children's section, due to the large number of children buried in Mount Moriah that died from the typhus, cholera and smallpox outbreaks. [4]

Historical plaque for Hebrew Hill Hebrew Hill, Mt. Zion, Deadwood, S.D..jpg
Historical plaque for Hebrew Hill

There is a Jewish section of the graveyard as there was a large Jewish community in early Deadwood and they were afforded more rights and equality in the rough frontier town than other places in the country at the time. Many of the inscriptions are written in Hebrew. Sol Star, a partner of Seth Bullock, was a member of this early Jewish community. [5]

In addition there is a veterans section, where many Civil War and Indian War veterans are buried with gravestones supplied by the United States government at the request of their families. [6]

Chinese Section

Deadwood was home to a sizable number of Chinese immigrants that settled in the area during the Black Hills gold rush, with an estimated 400 living in the city proper. The first recorded Chinese burial in Mount Moriah occurred on September 1, 1878. [7] Over the next fifty years, approximately 33 Chinese migrants would be buried in the cemetery. [8] However, because of the desire to be sent back to China, most of the bodies were disinterred. There are only three Chinese graves left in the cemetery, even though official signage lists two. The three tombstones read: "會大毓坟" (Grave of Hui Tian Fei), Wong Ngan Oi ("January 27, 1915, Age 15 yrs."), and a child of Fee Lee Wong (Born in Deadwood, SD. Died March 20, 1899"). [9]

In 1908, representatives from the Chinese community received permission to construct a burner and altar in Section Six, where the largest number of Chinese people were interred. The burner and altar was used for offerings intended for the departed spirits in accordance to their customs. [8] It was reconstructed by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission in 2013. [4]

Notable interments

Calamity Jane's grave Calamity Jane's grave.jpg
Calamity Jane's grave

Mount Moriah's main attraction is Wild Bill's gravesite. Calamity Jane and Potato Creek Johnny are buried next to him. [10]

Other notable gravesites include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deadwood, South Dakota</span> City in South Dakota, United States

Deadwood is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its heyday from 1876 to 1879, after gold deposits had been discovered there, leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush. At its height, the city had a population of 25,000, attracting Old West figures such as Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wild Bill Hickok</span> American folk hero and lawman (1837–1876)

James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement in many famous gunfights. He earned a great deal of notoriety in his own time, much of it bolstered by the many outlandish and often fabricated tales he told about himself. Some contemporaneous reports of his exploits are known to be fictitious, but they remain the basis of much of his fame and reputation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack McCall</span> Murderer of Wild Bill Hickok

John McCall ;, also known as "Crooked Nose" or "Broken Nose Jack", was the murderer of Old West legend Wild Bill Hickok. McCall shot Hickok from behind as he played poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, on August 2, 1876. McCall was executed for the murder on March 1, 1877.

<i>Deadwood</i> (TV series) American television series (2004–2006)

Deadwood is an American Western television series that aired on the premium cable network HBO from March 21, 2004, to August 27, 2006. The series is set in the 1870s in Deadwood, South Dakota, before and after the area's annexation by the Dakota Territory, and charts Deadwood's growth from camp to town. The show was created, produced, and largely written by David Milch. Deadwood features a large ensemble cast headed by Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, playing the real-life Deadwood residents Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen, respectively. Many other historical figures appear as characters, including George Crook, Wyatt Earp, E. B. Farnum, George Hearst, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sol Star, A. W. Merrick, Jack McCall, and Charlie Utter. The plot lines involving these characters include historical truths as well as substantial fictional elements. Milch used actual diaries and newspapers from 1870s Deadwood residents as reference points for characters, events, and the look and feel of the show.

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<i>Calamity Jane</i> (film) 1953 film

Calamity Jane is a 1953 American Technicolor Western musical film starring Doris Day and Howard Keel, and directed by David Butler. The musical numbers were staged and directed by Jack Donohue, who a year later would direct the Day musical Lucky Me (1954). The film is loosely based on the life of Wild West heroine Calamity Jane and explores an alleged romance between her and Wild Bill Hickok.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Bullock</span> Canadian-American frontiersman (1849–1919)

Seth Bullock was a Canadian-American frontiersman, business proprietor, politician, sheriff, and U.S. Marshal. He was a prominent citizen in Deadwood, South Dakota, where he lived from 1876 until his death, operating a hardware store and later a large hotel, the Bullock Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Utter</span> 19th-century American trapper, guide, and prospector (1838–1915)

Charles H. "Colorado Charlie" Utter was a figure of the American Wild West, best known as a great friend and companion of Wild Bill Hickok. He was also friends with Calamity Jane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Swearengen</span> Pimp, early entertainment entrepreneur in Deadwood, South Dakota

Ellis Alfred Swearengen was an American pimp and entertainment entrepreneur who ran the Gem Theater, a notorious brothel, in Deadwood, South Dakota, for 22 years during the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Weston Smith</span> American preacher and early resident of Deadwood, South Dakota

The Reverend Henry Weston Smith was an American preacher and early resident of Deadwood, South Dakota.

<i>The Plainsman</i> 1936 film

The Plainsman is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Custer, with a gun-runner named Lattimer as the main villain. The film is notorious for mixing timelines and even has an opening scene with Abraham Lincoln setting the stage for Hickok's adventures. Anthony Quinn has an early acting role as an Indian. A remake using the same title was released in 1966.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freeman Knowles</span> American lawyer and politician (1846–1910)

Freeman Tulley Knowles was a veteran of the American Civil War, lawyer, journalist and social activist. From 1897 to 1899, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives as a Populist.

Madam Dora DuFran or Dora Bolshaw was one of the leading and most successful madams in the Old West days of Deadwood, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calamity Jane</span> American frontierswoman

Martha Jane Canary, better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits, she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Late in her life, she appeared in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. She is said to have exhibited compassion to others, especially to the sick and needy. This facet of her character contrasted with her daredevil ways and helped to make her a noted frontier figure. She was also known for her habit of wearing men's attire.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Style Saloon No. 10</span> Building in South Dakota, United States

The Old Style Saloon No. 10 is located in Deadwood, South Dakota, United States. The original location is best known as the site where the American Old West legend Wild Bill Hickok was assassinated by the Coward Jack McCall while playing a game of poker on August 2, 1876. Saloon No. 10 was originally located on placer claim number 10 from which its name is derived. Fire swept through the mining camp in 1879 destroying the original structure, and a bar was later built at its former location.

References

  1. ↑ Straub, Patrick (2009). It Happened in South Dakota: Remarkable Events That Shaped History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 33. ISBN   978-0-7627-6171-5.
  2. ↑ Turner, Thadd (2001). Wild Bill Hickok: Deadwood City – End of Trail. Universal-Publishers. pp. 219–220. ISBN   978-1-58112-689-1.
  3. ↑ Shadley, Mark; Wennes, Josh (2012). Haunted Deadwood: A True Wild West Ghost Town. Arcadia Publishing Incorporated. pp. 70–72. ISBN   978-1-61423-675-7.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Mount Moriah Walking Tour" (PDF). City of Deadwood. Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission Office. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ Rochlin, Harriet (1984). Pioneer Jews: A New Life in the Far West. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 203. ISBN   978-0-395-31832-4.
  6. ↑ Project, South Dakota Federal Writers (2006). The WPA Guide to South Dakota. Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 110–112. ISBN   978-0-87351-552-8.
  7. ↑ "Historical Development of Mount Moriah" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 12, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Griffith, Tom (June 11, 2013). "Deadwood tapping into its Chinese heritage". Rapid City Journal Media Group. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  9. ↑ Hafnor, John (2002). Black Hills Believables: Strange-but-ture Tales of the Old West. John Hafnor. p. 104. ISBN   978-0-9648175-0-0.
  10. ↑ Bidwell, Laural A. (December 10, 2013). Moon Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills: Including the Badlands . Avalon Travel Publishing. pp.  147–148. ISBN   978-1-61238-081-0.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Rebecca (July 1, 2011). "Mt. Moriah is a Must See". South Dakota Magazine . Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Preacher Smith of Deadwood : Henry Weston Smith". Black Hills Visitor Magazine. October 12, 2015. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
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