Session 5 – Deadwood’s Chinatown

Early pioneer Chinese helped settle Deadwood from the 1870s to the 1920s. Robin Ivy Carmody and Kevin Kuchenbecker share stories of Deadwood's Chinatown, the largest Chinatown of any city east of San Francisco at the time. Notable figures of Deadwood's Chinatown include Fee Lee Wong, who made his way to the Black Hills during the 1870s for the Gold Rush. Excavation projects help to tell the story of the community that once bustled with grocers, stables, bakeries, boarding houses, emporiums, opium dens, gambling parlors and laundries.

Robin Ivy Carmody is originally from Boston, Massachusetts and has a passion for Deadwood’s colorful history and the Old West. She moved to Deadwood in 2016 and is actively involved in the community there. She is an avid researcher and contributed to the two books written on Agnes Lake Hickok, as well as, recently co-authored four children’s books relating to the history of Deadwood, its legendary characters, and locations. Robin is currently the Second Vice Chair of the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and is a team member of the dedicated staff at the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

Kevin Kuchenbecker is the Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Deadwood, a position he’s held since 2006. Kevin is a South Dakota native being born and raised in Philip and went to South Dakota State University where he majored history with an emphasis in architecture. He has been actively involved in downtown Deadwood’s revitalization, economic development, heritage tourism, and historic preservation for the past thirty years. Preceding his position in Deadwood, Kevin was the Executive Director for Heritage Ohio and Downtown Ohio, Inc., the Vice-President of the Hancock County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Findlay, Ohio, and was the Community Development Coordinator for Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Kevin also served on the board of directors for statewide organizations such as the Governor's Advisory Board for the State Main Street Program in South Dakota, Downtown Ohio, Inc., Leadership Ohio, Greater Ohio, and Preserve South Dakota.

This video was made possible by our partner, the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.