Watson Parker (June 15, 1924 – January 9, 2013) was an American historian, author and academic. Parker, a professor of history at the
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UW Osh) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to nearly 14,000 students e ...
, specialized in the history of the
Black Hills
The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black ...
of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
and eastern
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
.
He was inducted into the
South Dakota Hall of Fame
The South Dakota Hall of Fame is an American award for excellence among South Dakotans. Established in 1974, the South Dakota State Legislature named the organization the state's official hall of fame in 1996. The Hall is a museum detailing "acts ...
in 2011 for his work.
Background
Parker was born in 1924.
He was raised on his family's
dude ranch and resort, the Palmer Gulch Lodge, at the base of
Black Elk Peak
Black Elk Peak is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the Midwestern United States. It lies in the Black Elk Wilderness area, in southern Pennington County, in the Black Hills National Forest. The peak lies west-sout ...
near
Hill City, South Dakota
Hill City is the oldest existing city in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 872 at the 2020 census. Hill City is located southwest of Rapid City on U.S. Highway 16 and on U.S. Route 385 that connects Deadwood t ...
.
[ Hill City is called the "Heart of the Hills" because of its location near the center of the Black Hills. Parker managed the Palmer Gulch Lodge from 1948][''Directory of American Scholars'', 6th ed. (Bowker, 1974), Vol. I, p. 481.] until 1960, when he left home to study history.[ The Parker family continued to run the ranch until 1962.][ Parker received an A.B. from the ]University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
(1948), a B.S. from Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
(1951), and an M.A. from the University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
(1962). He received a doctorate in history in 1965 from the University of Oklahoma.[
]
Career
Parker authored three books, as well as numerous papers and notes on the history of the Black Hills throughout his career.[ Among his best known works are ''Deadwood: The Golden Years'' and ''Gold in the Black Hills''.][ In a 2011 interview in which he discussed ''Deadwood: The Golden Years'', a history of Deadwood, South Dakota, Parker recalled: "The University (of Nebraska) said they wanted a serious book about Deadwood. I told 'em '...maybe somewhat serious, but not solemn. Deadwood is not that kind of town.'"][
Parker devoted considerable research to the history of the Black Hills' ]ghost towns
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by Alle ...
.[ He co-authored a survey of the region's ghost towns, ''Black Hills Ghost Towns'', with historian Hugh Lambert.][
]
Teaching
He taught history at University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh or UW Osh) is a public university in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs to nearly 14,000 students e ...
for twenty-one years before retiring to the Black Hills.[ He continued to write, research and lecture after retirement.][ He was also a supporter and consultant for the Adams Museum & House in Deadwood.][
Parker's works were used as research for the American television series '' Deadwood'', which aired on HBO from 2004 to 2006. According to Mary Kopco, the director of the Deadwood History Foundation, the first book that ''Deadwood'' creator and director ]David Milch
David Sanford Milch (born March 23, 1945) is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including ABC's ''NYPD Blue'' (1993-2005), co-created with Steven Bochco, and HBO's '' Deadwood'' (2004 ...
purchased as research for the show was Parker's ''Deadwood: The Golden Years''.[ Milch and his staff later bought many of Parker's books and papers for the show.][
]
Induction into South Dakota Hall of Fame
In September 2011, Parker was one of fourteen South Dakotans inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame
The South Dakota Hall of Fame is an American award for excellence among South Dakotans. Established in 1974, the South Dakota State Legislature named the organization the state's official hall of fame in 1996. The Hall is a museum detailing "acts ...
at a ceremony held at the Cedar Shore Resort in Oacoma, South Dakota
Oacoma is a town in Lyman County, South Dakota, Lyman County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 386 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Oacoma is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, across from Chamberlain, Sou ...
.[ The other thirteen inductees included cave explorers Herb and Jan Conn, businessman Norm McKie, former ]Rapid City
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
Mayor Don Barnett, Lynn Seppala, Gene Abdallah, Curtis Hage, Dana Dykhouse, Donus Roberts, Amiel Narcelle Redfish, Gary Conradi, William Hinks and Tony Dean.[
Watson Parker died in ]Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
, on January 9, 2013, at the age of 88.[
]
Bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Watson
1924 births
2013 deaths
American historians
Historians of the American West
Historians of South Dakota
Black Hills
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh faculty
University of Oklahoma alumni
People from Hill City, South Dakota
Writers from South Dakota
Writers from Wisconsin