How Kevin Costner Became a Leading Man in Hollywood

In the 1990s, Costner opened The Midnight Star, a casino and restaurant in Deadwood, South Dakota. The town’s Wild West legacy fascinated him, especially after filming Dances with Wolves nearby. Inside the casino was a small museum featuring costumes and memorabilia from his films.

For over two decades, it operated as a tribute to his career and his love of frontier history. But in 2017, after a lengthy legal battle with former business partners, he sold it. Though the casino is gone, his connection to the town remains—it was one more way Costner tried to keep the Old West alive.