Nicholas was published in 1823 in the Troy, New York Sentinel on December 23, and though it was published anonymously it was quickly attributed to Clement C. The modern American Santa Claus, his sleigh and reindeer, and his unusual means of entering homes during his night of work emerged from the Dutch folklore of Sinterklaas. Santa Claus evolved from Dutch legends in the mind of Clement C. Nicholas shows Santa Claus travelling along the ground, perhaps because he is missing four reindeer. 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. He would entertain visitors with tales often made up as he went along while allowing them to watch him pan for gold. Both the nugget and Johnny became tourist attractions to visitors to the town in the 1930s and 1940s. He grew his beard to be long and scraggly, dressed as a prospector would, and sold the large nugget to a local businessman. Locals insisted that he had melted several smaller nuggets together to create the appearance that he was a successful prospector. 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. The finding gave him notoriety and celebrity, which he exploited tirelessly. 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. 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. Potato Creek Johnny of the Black Hills of South Dakotaĭeadwood 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. Potato Creek Johnny was a denizen of Deadwood who became a tourist attraction of his own making in the 1930s.
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