Deadwood and Strong Towns
Season One of “Deadwood” premiered on HBO in 2004. Image credit.
Having just started watching Season One of Deadwood on HBO, I was immediately struck by the Strong Towns correlations. Not surprising because I have been consuming vast quantities of Strong Towns media lately. Strong Towns tells us to heed lessons of the past when growing our cities of the present. Deadwood has a lot to share.
1. Thigmotaxis
Thigmotaxis: the motion or orientation of an organism in response to a touch stimulus. In human terms, the desire to be near a wall. People feel more comfortable walking next to a wall.
The town of Deadwood is arranged in a simple corridor style. One road shared by everyone, with a set of buildings lined up on either side. As Strong Towns states, every town in human history before World War Two started like this. Advantages include eyes being aimed toward the street for collective safety, and shared walls. People don’t have to go far to get food, services, or supplies because everything is close together.
In the show, men can be seen leaning in doorways, watching the goings-on of the town. Sometimes just a stern look can dissuade bad behavior. Plenty of people still get murdered in Deadwood, but the orientation of the street means there are witnesses to most acts, which provides a moral policing of sorts.
2. Incremental Growth & Small Bets
Deadwood, circa 1876. Image credit.
This is probably the #1 Strong Towns rule: Grow Incrementally. There are several examples in Deadwood.
The Shop - Seth Bullock and Sol Star show up in Deadwood looking to start a hardware supply shop. The evolution of the shop can be seen throughout season one. First there is a property negotiation with Town Boss, Al Swearengen. Al is surprised they want to buy and not lease a prime piece of property. Buying a piece of prime land on day one in Deadwood in 1876 probably be counted as a brash gamble. It was met with suspicion by Al, who suspects the newcomers of trying to set up a competing bar/brothel. Probably because nobody has yet attempted to make money by selling goods in the town.
The shop starts as a tent. If the shop had failed this would have represented a small gamble and Seth and Sol could have hitched up their horses and moved on with little loss. Further along in season one you see the two business partners hammering a wood frame together. It can be assumed that business was good enough to commit to the next incremental level of investment. Finally, the shop has glass window panes and has taken on a permanent look.
Tents on the outskirts of town: More than a few tents can be seen on the outskirts of town. Men including the Reverend H.W. Smith and (presumably) many prospectors start out with a tent as their only living space. The prospectors hope they will find enough gold to rent a room or build a shack. If they do not, then they have risked very little on their lodging and are not in severe debt. The Reverend hopes that enough people will listen to his sermons to necessitate building a church.
Bella Union Saloon: The second Saloon to open in Deadwood is a more upscale version of Al Swearengen’s place. Al is fiercely territorial, but he respects Bella Union owner, Cy Tolliver, as a business man. Swearengen recognizes that there is enough business in town for the both of them. After a small negotiation where it is agreed each saloon will keep a monopoly over specific gambling games, the two men part ways. Al Swearengen is a smart man. He recognizes that other businesses coming to town means the town is successful and he likely realizes this makes his own property more valuable.
3. Public Investment Should Follow Private Investment
The Gem Theater, circa 1878. Image credit.
Towns like Deadwood couldn’t borrow from an International Bond Market to fund a road. They had to pay for it and maintain it with their own funds. Throughout season one the main street remains a muddy mess, despite the establishments popping up. Scenes of people struggling to walk in the thick mud are often shown during season one. They apparently have not reached an appropriate level of private investment to make it worthwhile to fund a wooden plank road through town.
Another related theme is the political situation. Deadwood has no mayor or sheriff. Brothel owner, Al Swearengen, is the closest thing Deadwood has to a mayor and sheriff. He does this all in his spare time. When the town is asked by the US government to designate official roles, they all laugh and designate the equivalent of the town idiot as “Mayor.” Everyone knows Al is still in charge. A similar weakling is designated as “sheriff,” who immediately starts to abuse his powers. Towards the end of season one, Al realizes the town needs a sheriff & designates duties to Seth Bullock. The town’s matters have grown too large for him to manage in his spare time. Political officials are comparable to infrastructure in this sense. Deadwood doesn’t want to pay a full time mayor or sheriff until they have reached a certain critical mass.
I am sure there are many other Strong Towns tidbits hidden in Deadwood. If you haven’t watched the show I highly recommend it!
Top image of the historical Deadwood via HistoryNet.
About the Author
DJ Sullivan is a native of Rochester, NY. He currently lives in Nashville, TN. Reading, Walkable City by Jeff Speck in 2013 kindled his interest in urban planning. He is an accountant and enjoys writing and traveling. This article originally appeared on his blog, East Nashville Urban Design.
Incrementalism is an important element of the Strong Towns approach—both in theory and in practice.