9. Potato Creek Johnny of the Black Hills of South Dakota
Deadwood has plenty of American folklore associated with the town in one way or another, including legendary names known nationally such as Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, Seth Bullock, George Custer, Calamity Jane, and others. But there is more to the local lore besides the stories of characters which have been told and retold in books, magazines, films, and television. Among them is the story of a diminutive Welshman (4′ 4″ tall) named John Perrett, who became known and remains known in the area of Deadwood Gulch as Potato Creek Johnny, after the creek in which he reportedly found one of the largest gold nuggets ever found anywhere. The finding gave him notoriety and celebrity, which he exploited tirelessly.
Many locals disputed the find since by the time Perrett reached the mining camp most of the gold had been extracted from the waterways and was being mined from underground. Locals insisted that he had melted several smaller nuggets together to create the appearance that he was a successful prospector. He grew his beard to be long and scraggly, dressed as a prospector would, and sold the large nugget to a local businessman. Both the nugget and Johnny became tourist attractions to visitors to the town in the 1930s and 1940s. He would entertain visitors with tales often made up as he went along while allowing them to watch him pan for gold. Potato Creek Johnny died in 1943, and as befits a Deadwood legend was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, where Hickok and Calamity Jane were also interred.