The Disturbing True Stories That Inspired Deadwood

The story of HBO's Deadwood has long been one of television's great tragedies because of its untimely end. But with the release of the new Deadwood movie, many fans are revisiting the series, and the real history behind it. Here are the true stories behind Deadwood.

At a time when most people were hardened by the circumstances of life, Wild Bill Hickok stood out as a unique outlaw. A long-time associate, Captain Jack Crawford, described him as a kind soul, saying,

"He was loyal in his friendship, generous to a fault, and invariably espoused the cause of the weaker against the stronger one in a quarrel."

Hickok headed to Deadwood in the Dakota Territory in 1876, and in a story that should sound familiar to fans of the show, he did a ton of gambling. He was on a hot streak in one August poker game, but found himself forced to sit with his back to the door. Jack McCall had arguably been humiliated when Hickok returned some of his money and told him to get something to eat.

McCall had already been drinking, and the perceived insult sent him over the edge. He pulled out a pistol and shot Hickok in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

The composition of Hickock’s last poker hand has been the subject of debate and mythmaking. The story goes that Hickok had been holding a pair of eights and a pair of aces. That configuration has come to be known as the dead man's hand, but is that really what Hickock was holding? According to Arizona historian Marshall Trimble, that story wasn't told until the 1920s. The only contemporary reference to the cards pegs Bill’s hand as a king full house. The most likely scenario is that no one checked, and all this stuff was made up later.

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The dead man's hand | 0:16
A public hanging | 1:39
Truth or caricature? | 2:46
Opium to hide the pain | 3:58
Swearengen and his girls | 5:03
Taking matters into their own hands | 6:16
The ill fate of a preacher | 6:57
Calamity Jane, RN | 8:10
No survivors | 9:36
Snake-oil salesmen | 10:45

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