Preservation Thursday: Mileposts on the Mickelson Trail
DEADWOOD – Deadwood History, Inc. and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission will host a presentation by Rick Mills at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), 150 Sherman Street, Deadwood. The event is free for members and $5 for non-members.
Join Rick Mills, renowned author, photographer, and curator of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum, for an engaging presentation that takes you on a captivating journey along the historic Burlington Railroad’s High Line, now known as the George S. Mickelson Trail. Focusing on the northern stretch from Hill City to Deadwood, Mills will share insights from his upcoming book Mileposts on the Mickelson – The Burlington’s High Line.
Rick Mills is the grandson of a Chicago and North Western employee, and the great, great nephew of an Elkhorn Railway surveyor. Mills wrote and published his first book on railroad history in 1985 while attending the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and has since authored seven books on regional railroad history, co-authored and contributed to eight other books, produced articles, scripts, and photo essays for history publications and video productions. His career has taken him through several decades in marketing, printing, and tourism promotion in the Black Hills region.
Mills is a fifth generation resident of western South Dakota, and a lifelong railroad enthusiast. He currently serves as the curator of the South Dakota State Railroad Museum in Hill City, a position he has held since the museum’s opening in 2010. Mills has been involved with programming for South Dakota Public Broadcasting, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and is a presenter for the South Dakota Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. He was a recipient of the 2023 South Dakota Governor’s Individual Award for the Preservation of History.
Preservation Thursday is co-sponsored by the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, Adams-Mastrovich Family Foundation, Deadwood History, Inc., Deadwood Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Black Hills Pioneer, and the Silverado Franklin Historic Hotel & Gaming Complex.
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Deadwood History, Inc. preserves and presents the history of Deadwood and the Black Hills through exceptional places, interactive exhibits, and engaging events.
Adams Museum, Days of ’76 Museum, Historic Adams House, Homestake Adams
Research and Cultural Center, The Brothel Deadwood, and Fassbender Photographic Collection.