Friday, March 12, 2010

Deadwood's Bad Lands...


The Leland D. Case Library at Black Hills State University will host a presentation and book signing with Michael Trump this Thursday (3/25/10) in Spearfish. A 1990 BHSU graduate, Trump will give the presentation at 7:30 p.m. in the Jacket Legacy room of the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student Union.

Trump’s book, Raiding Deadwood’s Bad Lands: Its Illegal History of Prostitution and Gambling is an account of the history of the various raids on vice, concluding with the 1980 closing of the brothels and the Deadwood community’s push to get gambling legalized.

Legal historian Michael Trump researched and wrote a thesis on the 1980 federal raid of the brothels. During his research, he discovered there had been other raids not only on the brothels, but on gambling as well. Raiding Deadwood’s Bad Lands is a history of all the raids, concluding with the 1980 closing of the brothels, and the Deadwood business community’s push to get gambling legalized.

Trump also covers aspects of Deadwood’s early years as a wide-open mining camp. Support for the research and publishing of the book was provided by the Adams Museum & House, South Dakota Humanities Council, Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and TDG Communications.

The event is free and open to the public with wheelchair accessibility. For more information call (605) 642-6361. Refreshments will be served.