09/22/2026
BLACK HILLS LEGENDS: FEE LEE WONG
Deadwood had a Chinatown.
And one man became a bridge between two worlds.
Meet Fee Lee Wong, also known as Wing Tsue.
He arrived in Deadwood Gulch in December of 1876, during the height of the Black Hills gold rush.
Like hundreds of Chinese immigrants who came to the region, Wong arrived in a town that wasn’t always welcoming.
But he built a life here anyway.
Then he built a business.
The Wing Tsue Bazaar.
Located on Lower Main Street, Wong’s store sold Chinese goods and became part of Deadwood’s growing Chinatown.
But Wong’s influence stretched far beyond his storefront.
He raised a family in Deadwood.
He helped organize Chinese participation in the town’s Fourth of July celebrations.
He invited the broader Deadwood community to experience Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival.
And when members of Deadwood’s Chinese community died, Wong purchased burial plots for them at Mount Moriah Cemetery.
In a town divided by language, culture and prejudice, Fee Lee Wong built connections.
He became respected within Deadwood’s Chinese community and among the broader town.
And yet, for decades, stories like his were often overshadowed by gunfighters, gamblers and outlaws.
But Deadwood wasn’t built by one kind of person.
It was built by people who came from all over the world.
Including a Chinese immigrant named Fee Lee Wong.
