48 FALL 2021 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 03
SNOWGOER . COM 49 game , holding aces and eights – since known as the “ dead-man ’ s hand .” You can still visit his gravesite outside of Deadwood to this day .
Our time in the Black Hills wouldn ’ t last long , though it was some of the best snowmobiling ever , with awesome trails , stunning scenery , endless off-trail possibilities and wonderful , fresh snow . Our last night was the polar opposite of Wild Bill ’ s in Deadwood ’ s No . 10 Saloon : We made some decent money at the blackjack table that helped fund the trip ! However , you can you still visit the site outside of Deadwood where Steve buried a Ski-Doo in waist-deep powder .
Upon hearing reports of the riches in the Black Hills , brothers “ Colorado ” Charlie and Steve Utter organized a wagon train to Deadwood , stopping along the way to pick up more than 100 passengers , including now-infamous characters like Martha Jane “ Calamity Jane ” Canary and James “ Wild Bill ” Hickok in Wyoming . They arrived in Deadwood on July 12 , 1876 .
Upon hearing the deep snow reports in the Black Hills , we added brother-in-law
Steve to our wagon train ( a Tahoe and fourplace trailer ) the next morning and began our should-have-been nine-hour drive to Deadwood . The drive ended up being 12 hours , thanks to very sketchy roads the last 100-plus miles . We arrived after midnight . Hickok ’ s time in Deadwood wouldn ’ t last long , but it would be rowdy and highly entertaining . His last night was August 2 , 1876 , when Wild Bill was shot dead in the No . 10 Saloon on Main Street during a poker