Chinatown

Lower Main Street was once the bustling center of Deadwood’s Chinese community. The city archives say Chinatown, in the narrowest part of Deadwood Gulch, was home to more than 200 Chinese immigrants, part of a diverse town drawn from around the world by the gold rush.

Today the neighborhood is mostly visible through what has been recovered from the ground. Archaeologists have worked in this part of Deadwood since 1990, and the research has been published in the journal South Dakota History. Thousands of artifacts have been recovered from this end of town, and some evidence of Chinese culture can be seen in archaeological exhibits.

Another lasting link is at Mount Moriah Cemetery, where the Chinese community built an altar and ceremonial oven in Section 6 in 1908. The Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission rebuilt it in 2013. On the Historic Main Street Urban Trail, sign No. 14 marks the site.

Sources: City of Deadwood Archives: Historic Deadwood Walking Tour, City of Deadwood: Mount Moriah Cemetery brochure, Wikipedia: Chinatown, Deadwood, South Dakota