Charles "Red" Nolin, a pony mail carrier on the Sidney-Deadwood trail, was ambushed, killed, and scalped here by Indians on August 19, 1876. That evening, Nolin stopped by Alkali Creek, where the National Cemetery is now located, while a party from the Hay Camp, now in Rapid City, spent the night before hauling hay on to Deadwood. Among them were Jesse Brown, T.W. Leedy, Mrs. William O’Brien, Judge H.C. Ash, and Mr. and Mrs. Reason Rupe. Nolin was urged to stay overnight because Indian war cries had been heard nearby, but he insisted on leaving because he had promised his mother in Nebraska that this would be his last ride. The next morning his body was found here, his horse had been killed, and the mail was scattered. The freighters dug a shallow grave with hay forks and covered his remains with rocks, and the pile remained visible. In 1880 his remains were moved to Bear Butte Cemetery. Deadman Creek here and Deadman Mountain behind to the southwest were named for the tragedy that befell the 24-year-old carrier.