Trail ride to arrive in Deadwood this weekend

The Miles City to Deadwood Trail Ride began Aug. 20 in Miles City, Mont. About 85 riders are following the original stage line through Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, according to a news release from the Black Hills News Bureau.

The trail from Fort Keogh (Miles City) to Deadwood was established as a telegraph line in 1878, just two years after the rough-and-tumble Deadwood Gulch mining camp sprang up. Calamity Jane was among the noteworthy figures believed to have traveled the trail.

The 2010 riders, in wagons and on horseback, had to cross the Powder River at Powderville, Mont., travel amid a herd of longhorns, deal with extreme temperatures and elements, and maintain their pace through fairly desolate country.

The group will arrive in Deadwood on Saturday, Sept. 4, with an escort down the historic town’s Main Street at 3 p.m.

The trail ride benefits the Days of ’76 Museum in Deadwood. Events are planned for the riders each evening during the ride, including in South Dakota. This weekend’s overnight stops are near U.S. Highway 212 near Alzada, Mont.

The wagons and riders will cross into South Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 2, and will camp west of Belle Fourche on a ranch near Redwater Road. The group heads to Spearfish on Friday, Sept. 3, with a program and entertainment at the Western High Plains Heritage Center that evening. And on Saturday, Sept. 4, the riders make their way to Deadwood.

In conjunction with the trail ride’s arrival, the Days of ’76 committee will hold a steer-roping event at the rodeo grounds. There will also be a chuckwagon dinner at the rodeo grounds beginning at 3:30 p.m., followed by entertainment with Kenny Putnam, Ricky Jacobson and Paul Larson, and a program at the First Gold Hotel’s ballroom, beginning at 6 p.m.

The public is encouraged to attend these events. Call the Deadwood Chamber at 578-1876 for more information.