In the early 1920's Deadwood and Lead community leaders decided to honor the colorful past of their corner of the Black Hills. They decided to have a parade and they decided it would be like a rolling pageant of the area's history.
The first "Days of '76 Parade was held in 1924 and it was declared a success.
Portions of the 1928 parade were captured on film. Since then, events at the parade and rodeo have been filmed, photographed, videotaped, and lately, recorded in digital media.
This SDPB TV documentary below describes the history and evolution of the "Days of '76" parade and rodeo, and offers a look at historic film and video clips from 1928 through 2010.
For more information about the "Days of '76", visit www.deadwoodhistory.com
Deadwood's 'Days of '76' Parade and Rodeo