Creating a historic saloon from scratch

Deadwood, South Dakota

Lamb Painting

Wild Bill Hickock met his untimely end on August 2, 1876 in Deadwood, South Dakota. He was playing poker at a saloon when he made the mistake of sitting with his back to the door. A young gunslinger walked into the bar and shot him in the head point blank.

At the time of his death, Hickock was holding two black aces and two black eights. Its association with Hickock has earned it the nickname, “The Dead Man’s Hand.”

As such a central part of the folklore of the Old West, Deadwood remains a tourist attraction. So there are high expectations for customers of The Lodge at Deadwood, a renowned resort and casino with over 140 rooms and a decor reminiscent of the saloons of old.

Lamb Painting has been a repeat contractor for the resort since its opening in 2009. So when it came time to transform a restaurant space into a liquor lounge, Lamb Painting was the natural choice.

“We worked with the architect and general contractor to find wallcovering that was in stock and available and would match the space,” said Lamb owner Cara Parsons. “We worked with Diamond Vogel to ensure we were using the proper materials that would be the best for the owner and maintenance team.”

The project included a mural painting on brickwork, installation of wallcovering, painting drywall, priming and painting an exorbitant amount of woodwork, as well as painting the ceiling grid and duct vents to match a tin ceiling.

“One of our biggest challenges was working with and around other trades,” Parsons said. “Another challenge was all the dust when using black paint. That is always a challenge.”

You wouldn’t know it from the finished product. The stunning bar looks like it could have been on the eponymous HBO series from the early 2000s. You can almost smell the whiskey and cigar smoke.

“The best part of working on this project was seeing the transformation from a restaurant to a bar that really fits in with Deadwood,” Parsons said. “It is fun to see the different design ideas go together and produce such an aesthetically-pleasing space.”