No. 10 Saloon
Posted At : September 18, 2009 6:00 AM | Posted By : Borg
Related Categories: Trip Reports
No. 10 SaloonI recently had the chance to kick back a few cold ones in Deadwood, South Dakota and decided on settling into the famous No. 10 Saloon. The bar has all the feel of an 1800’s location to include the chair Wild Bill Hickok was sitting in when Jack McCall blew his brain pan apart. I gambled a little and came away meeting my goal of drinking in another historic cantina on my continuing lifelong bar tour. When I got back to home base I decided to get the facts on the No. 10 and pass them on to you as a history lesson from FU. Below is the short breakdown of the Saloon and, I'm sad to say, I was not in the original and couldn’t have been if I tried.
The original location of Nuttall & Mann's #10 Saloon was at 624 Main Street, but burned down in the tragic fire of 1879. There are no known photographs of the original saloon. Today, the original location is occupied by the Wild West Casino. In 1938, a "new" Old Style Saloon #10 was recreated across the street at 657 Main Street, which continues to operate today.
No. 10 Saloon, Deadwood, South DakotaIt was at this location that Wild Bill Hickok, famed gunfighter, who most certainly would have been a fighter pilot if he'd be lucky enough to live in that era, was shot by Jack McCall on August 2, 1876. The prior evening when Hickok was playing poker with several men, including McCall, Jack lost heavily. Wild Bill generously gave him back enough money to buy something to eat, but advised him not to play again until he could cover his losses. This obviously humiliated McCall who would take his revenge the next day.
The next afternoon when Wild Bill entered Nuttall & Mann's Saloon he found Charlie Rich sitting in his preferred seat. After some hesitation, Wild Bill joined the game, reluctantly seating himself with his back to the door and the bar---a fatal mistake. Jack McCall, drinking heavily at the bar, saw Hickok enter the saloon, taking a seat at his regular table in the corner near the door.
Wild Bill Hickok, gunfighter and 1800's fighter pilotMcCall slowly walked around to the corner of the saloon where Hickok was playing his game. From under his coat, McCall pulled a double-action .45 pistol, shouted “Take that!” and shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Hickok had been holding a pair of eights, and a pair of Aces, which has ever since been known as the "dead man's hand."
So, in conclusion, I recommend drinking and gambling at the No. 10 Saloon but go in with the knowledge that you are NOT in the original. With that trivia fact, you can make the non-fighter pilot, who might say they've had a drink in the original, feel stupid and you can walk away superior in your vast experience and FU given education. We suggest that for the next few days that you play poker with your back to the wall as well as we recommend not repeating Wild Bill’s mistake.
C'est l'esprit qui mène le monde et non l'intelligence
Antoine de Saint Exupéry
