The gold rush in the Dakota Territory took off around 1874, after George Armstrong Custer and his men found gold in the Black Hills. The boom created several towns and thousands flocked to the area in hopes of striking it big. Here are some vintage photos, found at the Library of Congress, from South Dakota’s gold rush. Take a look!
- This photo is titled, “Gold Dust” and was taken in Rockerville in 1889. The men in the photo are “old timers” Spriggs, Lamb and Dillon.
Library of Congress
- Here are Spriggs, Lamb and Dillon again, this time panning and washing gold.
Library of Congress
- This 1890 photo shows a Wells Fargo Express wagon and guards. The wagon contained $250,000 in gold bullion, and highway robbery was common, so guards were necessary. The gold came from a Mine in Deadwood.
Library of Congress
- Here’s a photo depicting the inner workings of the Homestake Mine in Lead, 1908.
Library of Congress
- Here’s the outside of the Homestake Mine in 1889.
John C. H. Grabill - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Wikimedia
- Prospectors making their way to a new gold field, hoping to strike it rich, 1889.
Library of Congress
- These townspeople in Deadwood are celebrating the opening of the largest reduction works in the world, 1888.
Library of Congress
- This photo, taken in 1888, shows the Caledonia No. 1, Deadwood Terra No. 2, Terra No. 3, gold stamp mines.
Library of Congress
- Weighing the gold bricks in Lead, 1902.
Library of Congress
- Men working during “Cleanup Day” at the Deadwood Terra Gold Stamp Mill, 1888.
Library of Congress
- DeSmet Gold Stamp Mill, Central City, 1888.
Library of Congress
- The town of Deadwood, date unknown.
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia
If you’re interested in more vintage photos of South Dakota, take a look at these 14 photos that are some of the oldest ever taken here.
Library of Congress
John C. H. Grabill - Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division/Wikimedia
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration/Wikimedia
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