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Original Franklin Hotel glass transparency donated to Deadwood

By Tim Velder

An original, and relatively unscathed, glass plate photograph of the Franklin Hotel in Deadwood was recently rediscovered by one of the hotel’s former owners. 

French Bryan of Spearfish was a co-owner of the Franklin back in the 1970s and early 1980s when major remodeling was being done on the facility. 

Part of that remodel entailed the removal of cracked, broken and chipped glass plate photographs touting the Deadwood area. Those glass plates were put in storage until they were given to the Deadwood Historic Preservation Archives for restoration in 2006.

One of those plates, the large 18-inch by 24-inch glass plate of the Franklin Hotel, was created shortly after the hotel’s completion in 1903.

Although Bryan doesn’t remember anything about how the large plate went missing, he apparently asked a photographer friend to take the plate, and make a color image for use in promotional brochures.

While the other plates were in storage in Deadwood, this plate remained in the care of the photographer. As more and two decades passed, memories faded and by the time the plates were donated to the city of Deadwood, no one remembered where the large hotel plate was. The city pieced together a copy of the plate in the place where the original should have gone.

“I didn’t recall taking the large piece out,” Bryan said. “I just couldn’t imagine where or who would have taken it out of there."

In December, the photographer returned the plate to Bryan, after there was some publicity on the copies of the other restored plates being put on display in Deadwood City Hall. Bryan knew the historical significance of the image and knew where it belonged.  

On Dec. 17, he brought it to the city. It will likely be restored and reproduced for display with the other plate copies. 

“This plate was enlarged and meticulously hand painted by the Detroit Photographic Company (in 1903),” said Deadwood archivist Mike Runge.

“This image was part of a large, four-part glass transparency exhibit which was on display in the palace of Mining and Metallurgy at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. 

”Also included in this exhibit were glass transparencies of the City of Lead, Lawrence County’s Spearfish Canyon and Sylvan Lake in Custer State park. The donation finalizes the collection.

“This collection is the largest compilation of oversized glass transparencies in the United States,” Runge said.