Home » Preservation Thursday: Two Visions of Success: Seth Bullock and J.K.P. Miller in Early Deadwood

Preservation Thursday: Two Visions of Success: Seth Bullock and J.K.P. Miller in Early Deadwood

DEADWOOD – Deadwood History, Inc. and the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission will host a presentation by Dr. David Wolff at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 7, 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. 

Examine the lives of Seth Bullock and James K. P. Miller, two of Deadwood’s leading citizens, with author and historian Dr. David Wolff.  Both men arrived with the gold rush, ran businesses next to each other, and worked to turn the gold camp into a prosperous community. Despite having many shared experiences, they had different visions of what success meant for themselves and for Deadwood. Dr. Wolff will discuss their motivations and actions, while examining what they accomplished and how they interacted with one another. Bullock and Miller helped create a modern Deadwood but did it in very different ways. 

Dr. David Wolff is Professor Emeritus at Black Hills State University and chairman of the Adams Museum & House board of directors.  Wolff did his undergraduate and master’s work at the University of Wyoming and received his Ph.D. from Arizona State University.  He has published articles in South Dakota HistoryMining History Journal, and The American Indian Quarterly.  Wolff has written four books: Industrializing the Rockies: Growth, Competition and Turmoil in the Coalfields of Colorado and Wyoming, 1868-1914 (University Press of Colorado, 2003), Seth Bullock: Black Hills Lawman (South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2009), The Savior of Deadwood: James K.P. Miller on the Gold Frontier (South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2021), and Black Hills History Tours: The Gold Rush (South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2024)In 2012, the Mining History Association awarded Wolff the Rodman Paul Award for Outstanding Contributions to Mining History. In 2023, he was awarded the South Dakota State Historical Society’s highest honor, the Robinson Memorial Award, one of the Governor’s Awards for 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. 

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