Black Hills Mining Museum

For more than a century, gold mining has been the #1 industry in Lead and in the Northern Black Hills. Now that gold mining heritage is cleverly depicted in the Black Hills Mining Museum. The museum features a simulated underground level of the Homestake Gold Mine - the only comprehensive look at both early-day and modern underground mining to be found in the Black Hills. This exhibit was created by over 140 miners and former mine employees and traces the history of mining at Homestake from 1876 to the 1970s. The Homestake mine, which ceased operation in 2001, was one of the largest in the world, reaching a depth of 8,000 feet below the surface of the city of Lead.