Former Mayors

In 1876 a series of mining camps sprang to life along Deadwood and Whitewood Creeks:  Fountain City and Elizabethtown to the north, South Deadwood Ingleside and Cleveland to the south, surrounding Deadwood City itself.  Government, where it existed, was limited.

As the rugged camps of 1876 gave way to a cosmopolitan commercial and transportation center, the need for an organized system of government was recognized.  In 1881, House Bill No. 59 was introduced into the 14th. Session of the Dakota Territory Legislative Assembly, calling for the incorporation of these six camps into the City of Deadwood.  The bill further provided for the creation of the position of Mayor, and appointed Daniel McLaughlin to fill that office until the first municipal election could be held in the following year.  Mayor McLaughlin called the first meeting of the Deadwood City Council to order on March 15, 1881.

An annual mayoral election was held for several years until terms were expanded to two years.  The term was increased again in 1984 to three year terms when the City’s form of government changed from Council to Commission.

Political conflicts come and go, but one thing is certain:  the individuals represented in the Deadwood Council Chamber and in this exhibit provided many years of public service to this community, and their greatest reward was their own sense of accomplishment.  We honor these citizens for their dedication to Deadwood’s future.