Red Dead Redemption 3: 10 Cities That Could Be On The Map

2. Deadwood, South Dakota

Red Dead Tombstone
Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Next to Tombstone, Deadwood might be the most recognizably-named town in the entirety of Western canon. It's got a whole HBO series dedicated to it.

Founded in the midst of the Black Hills Gold Rush - which prompted the government to renege on the Treaty of Fort Laramie and seize the land from the Sioux, to whom it was promised in perpetuity - Deadwood quickly rose to prominence as a lawless frontier town, rife with prostitutes and gamblers. Murders were commonplace, and not every murder was of a nameless civilian. The most high-profile homicide in Deadwood was that of famous gunslinger, Wild Bill Hickock.

Al Swearengen monopolized the town's opium trade, and ruled his criminal empire out of his own saloon: the Gem Variety Theater. The area also hosted other famous figures such as Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock.

Deadwood also had a notable Chinatown, with merchant Wong Lee Fee acting as a community leader to the Chinese population from 1876 until his death in 1921.

Red Dead hasn't really had a town quite like Deadwood, and if it returns to the Golden Age of Outlaws, then lawless settlements like this one - as well as Tombstone, Dodge City, and El Paso - would be perfect.

Contributor

Dustin is your friendly neighborhood historian, nerd culture enthusiast, and professional wise-ass. Some of his favorite pastimes include writing, philosophizing, and antagonizing stupid people.