Are you sure the characters are fictional? Just south of Deadwood, across the Nebraska line is the town of Whitney. And there have been Whitney's in the Dakotas for a long time. For instance, I have a niece in Sturgis (who lived in Deadwood the first time I visited back in '84). In addition to the niece in Sturgis are other family members in the Eagle Butte and Mobridge areas. Yes, the first question is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but check the land, homestead, and census records and you will see that the Whitney presence in Dakota territory goes way back. Bruce A. Whitney (Albert-9, Oscar-8, Silas-7, Cornelius-6, Cornelius-5, Matthias-4, Cornelius-3, Joshua-2, John-1)