South Dakota Events

1876 James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Meets 'Calamity Jane' Cannary
In 1876, Calamity Jane settled in the area of Deadwood, South Dakota, in the Black Hills. There, she became friends with, and was occasionally employed by, Dora DuFran, the Black Hills' l...
1876 Jul James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok Arrives in Deadwood, South Dakota
The arrival of Hickok in wide-open early Deadwood was viewed with a mix of curiosity and distrust by those already there. What was the “famous” Wild Bill doing in Deadwood? Local bosses w...
1876 Aug 2 James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok is Shot by Jack McCall During a Poker Game
On August 2, 1876, Hickok was playing poker at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon No. 10 in Deadwood, in the Black Hills, Dakota Territory. On this fateful day Wild Bill violated one of his own cardi...
1877 Mar 1 Jack McCall is Hung for the Murder of James Butler 'Wild Bill' Hickok
"As I write the closing lines of this brief sketch, word reaches me that the slayer of Wild Bill has been re-arrested by the United State authorities, and after trial has been sentenced to..." —Leander Richardson
1889 Nov 2 North Dakota And South Dakota are the 39th and 40th States Admitted to the Union
On November 2, 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted to the Union as the 39th and 40th states. The first European explorers, Louis Joseph and François de La Vérendrye, entere...
1927 Mount Rushmore Construction Begins
South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote touri...
1972 Jun 9
to 1972 Jun 10
 Black Hills Flood
On June 9-10, 1972, extremely heavy rains over the eastern Black Hills of South Dakota produced record floods on Rapid Creek and other streams in the area. Nearly 15 inches of rain fell i...