How do catastrophic fires, particularly in small, towns surrounded by forest, prove to be the catalyst for historical change? We speak with historian David Wolff, about how the response to four of Deadwood’s fires proved to be a boon to the famous Black Hills gold-mining town. The conversation is based on David’s prize-winning article in the recent issue of South Dakota History where he writes on the fires of 1879, 1889, 1894, and 1987 and how the responses to these fires made modern Deadwood.
For a copy of the article see: South Dakota History, Vol 53, No. 4.
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