South Dakota

Seth Bullock

(1849-1919)

Lawman, Businessman

Fame-O-Meter-2/10

Resting Place-Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood

GPS Coordinates-

44°22'37.4"N, 103°43'21.9"W

Seth Bullock was a legend in the West. Originally from Montana, Bullock was a politician there and helped get Yellowstone as the first National Park in America. Moving to Deadwood, South Dakota, he sought gold in the Black Hills Gold Rush. Bullock was later the sheriff in the town, a hotel owner, and a friend to "Wild Bill" Hickok. Bullock served with Teddy Roosevelt later in the Spanish American War, and the two became friends. Timothy Olyphant's Seth Bullock was the lead character in the HBO show "Deadwood".

Calamity Jane

(1852-1903)

Frontierswoman, Sharpshooter

Fame-O-Meter-6/10

Resting Place-Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood

GPS Coordinates-

44°22'33.1"N, 103°43'32.0"W

Calamity Jane was a true American icon at a time that women were supposed be prim and proper. She rejected Victorian society norms and preferred to go about in pants and with a rifle in her hand. Jane worked in the U.S. Army with General George Custer, but her exact role remains subject to speculation, she claiming she was a spy and the official records stating she worked behind the scenes jobs like laundry and cooking. Despite rumors to the contrary and in spire of the fact that she arrived to Deadwood with "Wild Bill" Hickok, the two were never anything more than friends. Calamity Jane was known to be a rough and tumble gunslinger at time and an angel at others. She served the smallpox victims in 1878 in Deadwood when others refused to. She also toured with "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show for a time. Before she passed, she asked to be buried right next to her good friend Hickok, and the town of Deadwood obliged her final wish. 

James "Wild Bill" Hickok

(1837-1876)

Lawman, Gunslinger

Fame-O-Meter-8/10

Resting Place-Mount Moriah Cemetery, Deadwood

GPS Coordinates-

44°22'33.1"N, 103°43'31.8"W

"Wild Bill" is a legend in American folk culture. Originally gaining fame as a sheriff and marshal in Kansas, Bill was also a scout in the United States Army during the Civil War. Bill was known as a deadly marksmen, despite historians believing he was only involved in one classic duel. However, Hickok is believed to have killed other men in other fights, enshrining his reputation as a killer. Bill toured the United States, like so many other legends of the West, in "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show. Afterwards, he made his way to Deadwood, South Dakota, where he was killed at a poker table by Jack McCall in the #10 Saloon. Experts disagree on whether "Wild Bill" died holding the now famous "dead man's hand" of a pair of aces and a pair of eights. 

"Sitting Bull" Tatanka Iyotake

(1831-1890)

Native American Leader

Fame-O-Meter-9/10

Resting Place-Sitting Bull Monument, Corson County

GPS Coordinates-

45°31'00.8"N, 100°29'06.7"W

Sitting Bull or Tatanka Iyotake was known by many titles in this life. Leader. Spiritual Leader. Holy Man. Warrior. Chief.  He was originally called "slow" by parents, but later his calm demeanor earned him a place of prestige among the Lakota people. In 1876 he, along with Crazy Horse, defeated General George Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana. He later was kicked off his land by the U.S. Government. In his final years, he toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show, meeting other legends of the West like Cody himself and Annie Oakley.

Sitting Bull was originally buried in North Dakota. There is quite an interesting story regarding his bones, but the short version is that he was almost certainly dug up and buried at this location in South Dakota. While we typically only put the most historically researched location for someone's final burial spot, we are also honoring the North Dakota location as well.