C.O.C.A. Times

DAYS
1AT£1N
DEADWOOD
by Johnny Duckworth
Chasing old coin operated machines really gets the heart
pumping and I can never get enough. Just to get a little
excitement, I will even sift through the old coin operated
magazines from time to time. I have chased several leads
from the pages of the old Coin Slot and Loose Change
magazines but never had much luck. However, about seven
years ago while reading an article out of a 1990 Coin Slot
magazine there was an interesting photo of a very nice Mu-
sical Victor. The machine was pictured in the old town hall
of Deadwood, South Dakota and incorrectly named a Cail le
Victor. My mind began to race, wondering if the machine
could still be there years later. Unfortunately, Deadwood
was 750 miles away and in the middle of no where, so there
was not a whole lot I could do with this information.
Now fast forward to 2007, as my wife and I decided
that we would go to bike week, better known as ' Sturgis'
with my cousin and his wife up in South Dakota. However,
I didn't think nearly as much about riding bikes in South
Dakota that week as I did about trying to find this old floor
machine. Deadwood is located only fifteen miles from St-
urgis, so I dug the article back up to try and find any clues
that might help me track this elusive machine down .
We rode our Harleys into Deadwood on a sunny August
day, and it was like going back in time. Main street has
changed very little over the years; The old red brick street
remains with beautiful Victorian buildings standing tall on
each side. Large hotels from the tum of the century are still
in use with much of the same decor. Saloons and casinos
line the street filled with customers just like in the days of
the gold rush. You may recall that Wild Bill Hickok was
shot there in 1876 at the No. 10 saloon .
We started the search off for the machine at the old train
station which was now a history and infonnation center.
After about the third person giving me a strange look when
trying to describe what I was looking for, we made a break
through. I began talking to this elderly man who couldn't
quite remember the machine, but he did remember the old
town hall which had been sold years ago along with all its
contents . He was able to give me the buyer 's first name as
"Blake", and said some of the contents had been moved to
other locations in town which Blake owned.
After making several unsuccessful stops searching for
this machine my time was starting to run short as everyone
with me would rather catch butterflies than look for some
silly old slot machine. Sensing their impatience, I decided
to make our final stop at a little old casino at the bottom of
Main Street. I walked through the double doors and into
this very quaint one room casino. I was headed towards the