Lawrence County holds five of South Dakota's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, five Lawrence County places, including Historic Bullock Hotel at #2, rank among South Dakota's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 25 South Dakota sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Historic Bullock Hotel ranks #2. Seth Bullock, Deadwood's first sheriff, built the hotel in 1895 with partner Sol Star. Five separate published accounts describe activity there. Guests and staff describe a tall figure in period dress near room 211, phantom cigar smoke and a male voice calling their names.

Saloon No. 10 (a later recreation near the 1876 site) ranks #5. James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was shot and killed during a poker game at Nuttal & Mann's Saloon on August 2, 1876, holding what became known as the "dead man's hand." Three separate published accounts describe activity there. Visitors describe a sense of a presence and a piano that plays with no one at the keys.

Also in the top ten: Historic Fairmont Hotel (#3), Historic Adams House (#4) and Historic Homestake Opera House (#9).

Statewide, Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Historic Bullock Hotel, 633 Main Street, Deadwood, is a working hotel with rooms from $80 to $200 a night.Saloon No. 10, 657 Main Street, Deadwood (a later recreation near the 1876 site), is open daily.Historic Fairmont Hotel, 628 Main Street, Deadwood, offers nightly ghost and brothel tours, including in October.Historic Adams House, 22 Van Buren St, Deadwood, is a house museum with daytime tours, seasonal through October.Historic Homestake Opera House, 313 W Main Street, Lead, offers tours by appointment and hosts live performances.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/south-dakota/The fact sheet, with Deadwood numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/south-dakota/Venue contact: historicbullock.com and saloon10.comA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

###