23 Aug - Mom's birthday, Fort Meade, Deadwood

23 Aug

Today is my mom's (Wilma) birthday. 23 Aug 1925. Easy to remember as my birthday is the next day! She would have been 92 today. Unfortunately she succumbed to dementia/Alzheimer's disease and passed away 12 Aug 2013. RIP Wilma.

This morning I updated the blog since we got back late last night from Mount Rushmore's evening illumination ceremony. Early afternoon we headed west on I-90 towards Sturgis again but this time we passed through downtown Sturgis and landed just east of town at Fort Meade. Now wait a minute, you might say, Fort Meade is in Maryland! True dat! The Fort Meade in Sturgis SD was closed and it was reopened near Washington DC.

Fort Meade SD was established in 1878 as a cavalry fort to protect the new settlements in the northern Black Hills, especially the nearby gold mining area around Deadwood. It has been the home of several different units to include the 7th Cavalry after Little Big Horn, the 4th Cavalry and the Buffalo Soldiers of the 25th Infantry Division (African-American unit). The 25th ID is now located at Schofield Barracks HI. I served with them in Iraq. Fort Meade is primarily a National Guard training facility now.

One primary reason we wanted to visit Fort Meade is that it is the home of our National Anthem! It was here that the "Star Spangled Banner" first became the official music for the military retreat ceremony, long before it became the National Anthem. In 1892, the post commander Colonel Caleb H. Carlton, 8th Cavalry, began the custom of playing the “Star Spangled Banner” at military ceremonies and requested that all people rise and pay it proper respect long before it became the National Anthem.

They have a nice museum located in what used to be the headquarters building and across the street is the monument above plus several others and what appears to be the remains of a large parade field.

The museum building

The Star Spangled Banner sign plus a cannon.

A tribute to the 4th Cavalry Group

The business end of a cannon tells the manufacturer, year and other information

We made our way across the street to the museum building.  They have displays starting with the Native-Americans all the way through current time.  They intend to expand into National Guard history as well.  They have displays in the basement, first floor and second floor.  here are some pictures:

Old firearms and weapons

 

Ku Klux Klan display!  Wow, wouldn't this make front page news right now!

Namesake of Sturgis SD

 

Native American displays

Little Big Horn and the 7th Cavalry.  The survivors came back here and regrouped

Old recruiting posters.  Awesome!

The last major cavalry ride in the US Army took place from here.  After that all horses were turned in except for ceremonial uses..

Balloons were launched from here

The second floor of this building was the ballroom

Displays in the ballroom

Homemaker display

Main Street Sturgis SD in the 1880's

Farming equipment

1942 Harley Davidson display

The blacksmith shop

The fort infermery

After leaving Fort Meade, we drove about 12 miles to Deadwood SD. Deadwood's claim to fame is it is where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed. He is buried on Boot Hill, also called Mt Mariah Cemetery, along side Calamity Jane. The discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 set off one of the last great gold rushes in the country. In 1876, miners moved into the northern Black Hills. That's where they came across a gulch full of dead trees and a creek full of gold…and Deadwood was born.

Beautiful drive to Deadwood.

Colored streaks in the rocks.

Today Deadwood is a tourist location full of casinos where the old saloons used to be;  hotels, shops, bars, etc.  There is a shootout re-enactment three times each afternoon on main street.  Unfortunately we missed this by just a few minutes and we could not stay for the next one.

 After arriving at Deadwood we made our way to Mt Moriah cemetery and visited the historic graves

Wild Bill's grave.  It is shaded so the inscription is hard to read

Various bottles of liquor and other items left by visitors

There are many very old gravestones in this cemetery.  Some old military markers too.

After the cemetery we drove towards downtown, but were delayed a bit as the local critters meandered across the streets.

We found a parking place quite a ways from the downtown area and then walked there.  We passed the fire department with a nice display out front

The streets are brick and as we approached the main street area casinos were visible down both sides.  We could only imagine how crowded this would be at the peak of the tourist season!

Visitor information at the Conestoga wagon

An old car dealership now a casino

This would be bumper to bumper people in the summer.

Wild Bill Hickok was killed here during a poker game, shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall, Aug 2 1876.  McCall was captured up the street the same day attempting to escape on his horse.  Buffalo was found holding a pair of black aces and a pair of black eights, now know as a "deadman's hand"!

Beautiful old hotel building, dating back to 1895

Mustang Sally's, where we had lunch

Another old hotel building from 1879

 It's obvious we could have spent a whole lot more time in Deadwood, but we needed to get back to the FamCamp as the dog's bladder has a maximum timer!

Tomorrow we will celebrate my birthday and have lunch with my cousin Dean Cooper and his wife Donna.  We are going to the Firehouse Brewery in Rapid City.