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Ghost Town Hunting

The first Europeans in the Black Hills were gold seekers, followed in very short order by saloon keepers, madams, gamblers, gunmen, assayers, storekeepers and (Who would have guessed it?) lawyers. Within two years every inch of the hills had been prospected and all the promising lodes had been claimed. Within the next few years the biggest commercial mines were already in operation and a boom that lasted for nearly 25 years was underway.     The year was 1876. Towns and mines appeared in almost every valley and draw, but the main mining districts were located roughly within a rectangle bounded by Deadwood in the northeast and Custer in the southwest. These included Deadwood/Lead, Keystone, Hill City, Tinton, Rochford, Galena and points between. However within a few years almost all of the gold mining was in the northern hills where it continued almost to the present day. Gold was not the only ore sought by miners. In fact, a whole range of minerals has been mined in the Black Hills, notably tin, coal, uranium, feldspar, mica and lithium, among others.     Between 1876 and about 1930, more than 400 towns and an untold number of mines appeared and disappeared in the Black Hills. Almost all are now ghost towns and ghost mines. Some, such as Cambria in Wyoming, just north of Newcastle, were spectacular. Cambria's, nearly 2,000 residents left in an afternoon and the town remained untouched for many years afterward. Most, however, are only references on maps or in books and only subtle traces remain.     Nowadays, ghost town hunting in the Black Hills is challenging. There are several books on the subject but most of the research and writing was done in the 60s and 70s so many of the places listed just don't exist anymore. Buildings that were falling down then have since collapsed and the US Forest Service has spent the last 30 years destroying these old "unsafe" landmarks.  One on-line resource is http://www.usgennet.org/usa/sd/topic/ghost/ which lists some -- but by no means all -- of the ghost towns in the Black Hills.     Nevertheless, ghost town hunting in the Black Hills remains popular. And, for the diligent searcher, there is still much to see. There are still a few preserved ghost towns. Spokane, for instance was once the home for nearly 2,000 people and can still be visited. A careful observer can even find traces of the old mine that gave the town its livelihood.       Ghost mines, still abound, but, unfortunately, they are often dangerous places. Tunnels are prone to collapse and shafts, many hundreds of feet deep, can appear in the ground out of nowhere. Buildings, if they still exist, tend to be rickety and are best viewed from afar. Some of the old mines, like Keystone's Holy Terror Mine, are easy to recognize. Others look like holes. Also many mines are on private property and visitors need -- but rarely get -- permission to view them.      If you wish to visit ghost towns or mines, planning is important. You need to know where you are going before you start, so researching with books and maps is critically important -- as well, as a good pair of walking shoes. A compass and a GPS device are also invaluable. Also, it's wise to pick only those sites that are on public land. And, as ever, picking up a little local knowledge along the way never hurts.      But, for those willing to persevere the rewards in the form of great photographs and a sense of Black Hills and Western history can make the effort well worthwhile. BACK HOME