Lead
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| Distance from Mt. Rushmore |
52 miles |
| Distance to Other Places |
Deadwood, 2 miles Sturgis, about 20 miles Spearfish, about 20 miles via US14A (Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive) Devil's Tower National Monument, about 40 miles via US14A Crazy Horse Memorial, about 50 miles via US385 Mt Rushmore, 52 miles Custer State Park, about 60 miles Wind Cave National Park, about 85 miles Jewel Cave National Monument, about 85 miles Badlands National Park, about 100 miles Hot Springs, about 100 miles |
| Time Needed: | An afternoon or evening |
| Best Time To Go: | Late afternoon combined with your Deadwood outing since the two towns are right together |
| Directions: | Follow US 16A north to US 16. Follow 16 west to US 385 North. Take 385 north to Deadwood and Lead |
| Cost: | N/A |
| Highlights: | Homestake Open Cut, Terry Peak, Deer Mountain, Museum of Mining |
Description: Open All Year |
Lead (rhymes with heed) is that other town in the northern
Black Hills. Although Deadwood gets all the fame as a gold-rush town,
Lead is the place where the gold was actually mined -- at least until
December of 2001, when the Homestake Gold Mine shut down after more
than 125 years of nearly continuous operation. Homestake Mine was the largest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere and its shafts and tunnels reach nearly 9,000 feet into the ground. You can get a sense of how far men will go to get gold, by taking visiting the Museum of Mining in Lead which is open all year. There is also the President's Park a few miles west of Lead on Deer Mountain Road. In winter, the ski areas at Terry Peak and Deer Mountain come alive near Lead. The ski season usually runs from November to March. Incidentally, Lead is one of the least touristy towns in the Black Hills. Lead's primary industry has always been mining and it's more like a company town than a tourist center. Consequently there is relatively little in the way of food or lodging. (http://www.lead.sd.us/) |
| Update 18/9/06 |  |
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