DEADWOOD, S.D. - The historic St. Ambrose Cemetery in Deadwood needs a facelift, and city officials say about $1 million in gambling proceeds are about to do the trick.
A renovation project expected to take two to three years kicked off Wednesday as workers began marking for removal dead or encroaching trees.
The cemetery is one of two in the historic city dating back to the late 1800s. The city's other high-profile graveyard is Mount Moriah Cemetery, where notorious legends Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane rest.
Deadwood historic preservation officer Kevin Kuchenbecker says St. Ambrose is just as historic. Some of the headstones bear faded dates of death from the 1870s.
The planned upgrades include securing loose ironwork, removing dead limbs, repairing retaining walls and fixing loose monuments.
A renovation project expected to take two to three years kicked off Wednesday as workers began marking for removal dead or encroaching trees.
The cemetery is one of two in the historic city dating back to the late 1800s. The city's other high-profile graveyard is Mount Moriah Cemetery, where notorious legends Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane rest.
Deadwood historic preservation officer Kevin Kuchenbecker says St. Ambrose is just as historic. Some of the headstones bear faded dates of death from the 1870s.
The planned upgrades include securing loose ironwork, removing dead limbs, repairing retaining walls and fixing loose monuments.
