The Savior of Deadwood

Book excerpt: "Given that his contemporaries hailed businessman James K. P. Miller as "the foremost citizen of Deadwood" and stated that his "name will always be coupled with the prosperity of Deadwood and the Black Hills," it would seem that he should be as well remembered as Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, Harris Franklin, and W. E. Adams. Yet, few in Deadwood or elsewhere have ever heard of James K. P. Miller. Dime novels did not make him a Western legend, as they did Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. No buildings carry his name, unlike Bullock and Franklin who have hotels named after them and Adams who has a museum and historic house. Similarly, Miller did not gain fame by dealing with outlaws, like Bullock, by making a fortune, like Franklin, or through philanthropy, like Adams. Miller is not even buried in Deadwood. Though time has erased most evidence of Miller's activities, he refused to let the gold camp wither away when its fortunes faded in the 1880s. By advancing several large projects, persuading outside investors to join him, and convincing railroads to build in, Miller became the town's preeminent promoter and developer. These actions brought a permanency that had never existed before. To some residents, Miller was the "savior of Deadwood.""--