Multiple signs claim that this is the spot where Wild Bill Hickok was killed while playing cards.

Original Location of Saloon No. 10

Deadwood, South Dakota

Across the street and down the block from the famous Old Style Saloon No. 10 -- famous because Saloon No. 10 was where Wild Bill Hickok was murdered -- is a storefront with a big sign stretched above its windows: "Original Location of Saloon No. 10." Depending on who you talk to in town, the sign is either accurate or wishful thinking.

Downstairs display features a jail cell, vintage pistol, and "Dead Man's Hand" of aces and eights.

Saloon No. 10 burned to ashes along with the rest of Deadwood in 1879. Since then, even though measurements have been taken and historical archives combed to find the Saloon's exact address, it may not matter, since the entire town was subsequently shifted to get it further away from its surrounding combustible hillsides. The site of Wild Bill's death may be beneath a crosswalk or a parking space.

While Old Style Saloon No. 10 freely admits that it's not in the 1879 spot, a succession of businesses at the "Original Location" have mined gold from its possible historical link. When it was the Wild West Casino it even had a tableau of wax dummies recreating the murder scene. Its current owners have taken a slightly more subtle approach, naming it the Wild Bill Bar and transforming the basement into a recreation of the No. 10 Saloon. Depending on the season or time of day, tours of the basement space can be guided or self-guided, and there's a card table where visitors can sit, just like Wild Bill, and pretend they're about to be shot in the head.

We feel that Deadwood's bloodbath history is big enough for two Saloon No. 10's. They're only two blocks apart. You should visit both.