Edward L. Wheeler.Deadwood Dick, the Prince of the Road; or, The Black Rider of the Black Hills. 1877.
Deadwood Dick is a fictional character who appears in a series of stories, ordime novels, published between 1877 and 1897 byEdward Lytton Wheeler (1854/5–1885). The name became so widely known in its time that it was used to advantage by several men who actually resided inDeadwood, South Dakota.
Those who took the nickname included:
Frank Palmer, gambler, according to his obituary of May 30, 1906, was the original "Deadwood Dick" who, at the age of 17 (c. 1879) went west fromSpringfield, Illinois, to Deadwood, South Dakota, where he made his fortune playing games of chance. He was dubbed "Deadwood Dick" by fellow gamblers. Palmer was the hero of Beadle's half-dime novels.[1]
Richard Clarke, also an actor; the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce asked him in 1927 to portray Deadwood Dick in the city's annual Days of '76 Parade. Clarke's work was managed by publicity man Bert Bell. Among other assignments, Clarke was sent east to invite then-U.S.PresidentCalvin Coolidge to Deadwood. Clarke appreciated the celebrity status so much that he continued playing Deadwood Dick until his death on May 5, 1930[2]
Others more briefly associated with the name were Richard Palmer, who died inCripple Creek,Colorado, in 1906, and Robert Dickey, who died in aDenver hospital jail in 1912.
