The City of Deadwood archives contains approximately 1200 feet of square storage. Besides storage space, the archives contain a conservation laboratory and holding room for incoming collections. Due to the diversity of items stored within the facility, the collections housed in the archives encompass a large spectrum. The following categories summarize the diversity of the collections.
Cartographic Materials:
The City of Deadwood archives contains over 800 maps and architectural plans, spanning the years from 1880 to the present. These materials encompass a broad spectrum of topics including commercial/residential plans, historic districts, historic plats, railroad right-of-ways, insurance maps, and business/residential boundaries. As a result of ongoing restoration/construction projects occurring within the Deadwood city limits, the map and plan collection will continue to expand over time.
Visual Records:
The City of Deadwood archives contain a vast amount of visual records including photographs, slides, motion pictures, and films. Due to the immense popularity of Deadwood and the surrounding region, the visual records focus on the economic and social development of the city from the 1880s to the present.
Textual Records:
The textual records housed within the archives consist of a broad collection of personal and business correspondence, government and organizational minutes, newspapers and newspaper articles, reports, oral history transcripts, personal diaries, and journals. The Lawrence County Courthouse records (on permanent loan) are also part of this collection.
Sound Recordings:
In addition to video/DVD recordings, the city archives also house a phonographic record collection, audio recordings of council minutes and recorded oral histories.
Archaeological Collections:
The archaeological collection consists of reports, photographs, and three dimensional objects that have been excavated, collected, and recorded within the city limits of Deadwood. All of the artifacts within this collection have been recovered during various architectural improvements and construction throughout the city since 1990.
Public Art/Architecture Collections:
In addition to items housed within the archives, the city has purchased sculptures, paintings, renovated signs and buildings as part of promoting the city's unique past. Although not housed in the archives, these objects help in the interpretation of Deadwood.
The categories listed above provide an overview of the actual collections housed in the archives. With the ongoing acquisition and accessioning of new collections, the diversity of the archives will continue to expand. For a current list of collections, please contact the City of Deadwood Planning and Preservation Office.
