Old Deadwood Days

Estelline Bennett was an inquisitive young woman who grew up in Deadwood, South Dakota (in Sioux Territory) in the late 19th century. She saw Deadwood transform from a rough mining camp into a real town with three-story buildings and laws to uphold. Bennett's father was the town judge, so she had an inside view into crime and punishment in Deadwood, which was a classic wild west town, replete with outlaws.

Deadwood was certainly full of activity: men made fortunes at placer mining, gamblers and prostitutes enjoyed piano music and whiskey in the saloon, respectable ladies did their shopping on Main Street and turned up their noses at the more colorful characters. Horse theives and muderers were tried and hung, and "bullwhackers" passed through on their way across the plains. Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok were locals, and the residents had names like Buckshot Bill and Swill Barrel Jimmy. This is the real Wild West of the movies.

As a woman, Bennett has a different perspective from most other chroniclers of the American West. Her descriptions of social life in Deadwood are acute and fascinating, as they chronicle a way of life that no longer exists. She was especially interested in the interactions between the Chinese, whites, and Indians, and between the different levels of the social order. Also, Bennett was always intrigued by the shadowy lives and deaths of the town's prostitutes.