Watson Parker
Watson Parker (June 15, 1924 – January 9, 2013) was an American historian, author, and professor. He taught history at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and studied the Black Hills of South Dakota and eastern Wyoming.
Parker grew up on his family's Palmer Gulch Lodge, a dude ranch at the base of Black Elk Peak near Hill City, South Dakota. He ran the lodge from 1948 to 1960 before leaving to study history; the family continued running the ranch until 1962. He earned an AB from the University of Chicago in 1948, a BS from Cornell University in 1951, an MA from the University of Oklahoma in 1962, and a PhD in history from the same university in 1965.
He wrote three books and many papers about the Black Hills. His best-known works are Deadwood: The Golden Years and Gold in the Black Hills. He also researched ghost towns and co-authored Black Hills Ghost Towns with historian Hugh Lambert.
Parker taught at UW–Oshkosh for 21 years before retiring to the Black Hills, where he continued writing, researching, and lecturing. He supported the Adams Museum & House in Deadwood. His work helped inspire the HBO series Deadwood (2004–2006), with the creator David Milch using Parker’s books as research.
In 2011, Parker was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame. He died in Rapid City, South Dakota, on January 9, 2013, at age 88.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:50 (CET).