Passion for the Past

"Days of '76" refers to 1876, when Deadwood was born in a gold rush boom, following the discovery of gold in Deadwood Gulch. The "Days of '76" recalls that brief but vibrant time when legends such as Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock walked the streets. It was a raucous gold camp, a time of hope and heartbreak, the true and unforgettable "Wild West".

The Days of '76 Museum began almost by accident, with the horse-drawn vehicles and costumes used in the annual parade. Over the years, photographs and rodeo memorabilia were added, and the museum continued to grow. The vehicles were stored first in sheds, then in Quonset huts. The current museum building was constructed in the 1970's.

In 1989 Don Clowser closed his Trading Post in downtown Deadwood, where the Celebrity Hotel and Casino now stands. At the urging of the Days of '76, he moved his collection to the museum, installing it himself, much as it appears today.

In 2001 the City of Deadwood purchased the Clowser Collection to be housed in the Days of '76 Museum, as Don wished. Clowser spent a great deal of time at the museum, chatting with visitors and sharing his collection with them. When he died in 2004 at the age of 89, the Days of '76 and Deadwood lost a beloved friend.

With Don's passing came an urgency to better care for these irreplaceable artifacts. A new non-profit organization was established, the Days of '76 Museum, Inc., to focus on the work of preserving and interpreting this important history. A conservator assessed the collections and the building environment, a professional museum staff was hired and work was done to display and protect the museum's collections to professional museum standards. But it is clear that no matter how much work is done with the archives and artifacts themselves, the current building is not adequate to properly protect and preserve this irreplaceable history. A building with proper security, fire suppression and pest management systems as well as climate control is imperative.

In 2006, the City of Deadwood generously dedicated one half of the $6,000,000 needed for a new Days of '76 Museum campus. [more about our capital campaign]