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Keystone

Distance	N/A
Time Needed:	N/A
Best Time To Go:	Anytime
Directions:	The Roosevelt Inn is located in Keystone.
Cost:	N/A
Highlights:	Shopping, Eating, 1880 train, Gold Mine, Borglum Story
Description:	In a way, Keystone is one reason the carvings on Mt. Rushmore exist. Long before Gutzon Borglum ever came here to sculpt the mountain, Keystone was a thriving mining town. Four major mines, all now inactive, are located within the town itself and many more dot the hillsides around us.      It was the miners from Keystone who actually blasted and hammered away at Mt. Rushmore to make it what it is today. Also, one of the original reasons given for commissioning Mt. Rushmore was to provide work for miners made jobless when the old Holy Terror Mine closed.      The town of Keystone itself is spread along the roads beside two creeks, Grizzly Creek and Battle Creek. This makes the town very long -- more than three miles from one end to the other, yet occasionally no wider than a road next to a creek. The town has three distinct areas: Old Keystone, the historic townsite near the old Holy Terror Mine;  The Strip, a block-long stretch of tourist places along Highway 16A; and "The Corner" a relatively open area at the junction of US16A and Old Cemetery Road, just before the entrance to Mt. Rushmore.       Keystone offers lots of lodging (almost 700 rooms) and several attractions besides Mt. Rushmore. Also Keystone has nine restaurants.