Monday, October 6th ~ Continuing our drive along Interstate 90 (part 1)
At 1880 Town
What a day, what a day, what a day. Between the two of us we took almost 500 pictures. You might think this was a record, but sadly it is not…
Entrance to 1880 Town
The first stop this morning was at the 1880 Town. Located on Interstate 90, 22 miles west of Murdo, SD. It makes a great place to stretch your legs, see some wonderfully furnished rooms/buildings, movie memorabilia, and historic photography. It was like stepping back into an authentic western town.
“South Dakota’s Original 1880 TOWN has more than 30 buildings from the 1880 to 1920 era, authentically furnished with thousands of relics, historical accounts and photographs, a Casey Tibbs exhibit and Dances with Wolves movie props…” ~ 1880town.com
I almost expected to see a gunslinger walking down the street.
Here are a few of the interior shots we took:
Old time cash register
For some reason the small pictures below are not loading sharp, but if you click on them, you can see the original clear photo.
And a few more of the buildings:
Longhorn Saloon
Wells Fargo Express
Since it was the end of the season, we had the place all to ourselves for about an hour which allowed us free run and we could snap pictures to our hearts desire.
The town was used in the filming of the movie “Dances with Wolves“, a 1990 movie starring Kevin Costner and an area is devoted to set props. The film won seven academy awards including Best Picture.
From Dances With Wolves
There was also a picture arcade that fascinated me. These two pictures in particular stood out:
Survivors from the battle at Little Big Horn (1876)
An amazing collection of famous people
I found it quite extraordinary to have so many people with famous stories all gathered together in one picture. The likes of Wyatt Earp, Teddy Roosevelt, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as the Hanging Judge Bean.
Moving on down the road, we spotted some prairie dog holes. I swear, Tim is like an animal whisperer and can walk up to almost any critter. They seem to know that he will not harm them, and are equally curious.
Tim having a face to face with a prairie dog
He managed to take some pretty cool pictures while he talked to them.
This post is already getting long, and our day was only 1/2 over so:
TO BE CONTINUED…
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for my husband’s ability to get up close and personal with animals. It makes for some great photos, a bit of laughter and lots and lots of smiles.
A Note From Abroad 
Wonderful post, great pictures. I, too, am amazed by all those famous people in one picture! Interesting!!
LikeLike
Wasn’t that an interesting group? I would love to know what brought them all together. I’m wishing I had asked more questions about it.
LikeLike
I’m not sure how much time you’ll be spending in SD but I hope it’s long enough to spend a day in The Badlands and a FEW days in the Black Hills. You won’t get the colors of the Kankamagus but there are a number of spectacular drives, I personally recommend the Iron Mountain Road where you’ll go through tunnels that frame Mt. Rushmore.
LikeLike
Hello Maya! I’m so glad you stopped by. My next post will be from our stop in the Badlands. And yes we did get to Mt Rushmore and more. Stay tuned! I could have easily spent more time in this very scenic area.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for stopping by and liking my post and, in so doing, introducing me to yours and taking me with you to South Dakota. BTW, I, too, am thankful for your husband’s ability to get up close and personal with animals! I love those prairie dogs!
LikeLike
Hello Mary! I was so disappointed the next day when I found out that they are carriers of a plague in that area. I wanted to take one home with me (just kidding), but yes, they were so darn cute.
LikeLike
Love your shots! What a great place for photography……gophers and all:)
LikeLike
Thanks Kirt, glad you enjoyed our shots. Are you calling my prairie dogs gophers?????? HaHa!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Tim and Joanne,
I run a fan-focused film tourism website called FilmQuest: http://www.filmquest.co
I just started to work on content around the movie ‘Dances with Wolves’ when I came across your blog entry about your visit to 1880 Town in South Dakota. I was wondering whether you would give me permission to use some of your photos on my website? I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards from New Zealand,
Stefan
LikeLike
Hi Stefan,
Thank you for asking! Yes, you are welcome to use our photos from 1880 Town. Would certainly appreciate if you would show credit to A Note From Abroad and/or Tim and Joanne Joseph.
Best regards,
Joanne
LikeLike
Hi Joanne,
This is wonderful, thank you. Of course, I will credit all your photos accordingly.
One more question: Do you happen to have any more photos of the ‘Dances with Wolves’ props at 1880 Town?
Warm regards from New Zealand,
Stefan
LikeLike
I don’t remember, but I will be working on some photos over the next couple of days and will be happy to take a look.
LikeLike
Thank you, Joanne.
LikeLike
I’m sorry, but I did not find any more pictures for you.
LikeLike