Last Updated on October 19, 2023 by Jill
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We got up early and took the car into the black hills to scout out a spot to park the RV. There are all kinds of places you can park or (boondock) for free. No services but as long as your water tank is full, black, and gray empty and you have a generator your good to go! We found a great spot tucked in the woods off a small gravel road.
So, we hurried back to the camper and headed out. Lucky for us one of the RVs that was there was just leaving when we pulled up. So, we got their spot which was great. Since we spent most of the morning moving we decided to check out the area and do Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse memorial tomorrow. It’s best to go first thing in the morning to beat the crowds. So, today it is Deadwood, Bronze Statues, and Contraband! What do I mean by that? Well, read on to find out.
Deadwood
First, stop Deadwood. Deadwood is a town in South Dakota that became famous in the American Old West. It was put on the map because of a famous shooting over a card game. Wild Bill Hickock was shot and killed in the saloon over a poker game in 1876. Anyway, the town is supposed to still replicate the time period and has been restored to keep the main street that way. It is very touristy and to me, it didn’t look anything like what I imagined it would look like during the old west. We did stop in the bar and had a drink where Wild Bill was shot. I took a couple of pictures and then we were off to see other sites. The picture on the right is the only building that looks like that.
Bronze Statues and Contraband
They call it the Presidents walk or tour. Our next stop was in downtown Rapid City. Main Street to be exact. I had read in our tour book that the city has displayed Bronze statues of 42 presidents. Sounded pretty neat to us so we headed to the main street. On our way to town, we got hit by a pretty big rainstorm as we got into downtown. I had read that there was a local distillery near the main street. So, while the rain was coming down we decided to check it out.
It is called the Blackhills Contraband Distillery. What a great stop. The guy makes all kinds of different liquors. All of them are not available for sale yet but he let us try as many as we wanted (small tastings, which was good). Then made us one of his specialty drinks that they have created. Great way to wait out the rain. When the rain quit we headed out to find the bronze statues. Turns out they are scattered over several blocks and we weren’t able to see them all due to time. But, we will come back and find the rest of them. I have included pictures of the ones we found below.
Well, now you know what I meant when I said Deadwood, Bronze Statues, and Contraband! The next post is all about Mt. Rushmore, Needles Hwy, and a stop at the Crazy Horse memorial. Click on photos below to enlarge and read the names.
Cheers,
Jill
