Lead, South Dakota
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Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,982 at the 2020 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.
Aerial photo of Lead in 2004
Buildings on Lead's western side
The Homestake Mine pit in Lead
Gold-quartz placer nugget, found near Lead. About 1 cm wide.
The Homestake Mine was a deep underground gold mine located in Lead, South Dakota. Until it closed in 2002, it was the largest and deepest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. The mine produced more t
Lead, South Dakota
…founded on July 10, 1876, after the discovery of gold. The city was named for the leads or lodes of the deposits of valuable ores. It is the site of the Homestake Mine, the largest, deepest (8,240 feet [2,510 m]) and most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere before closing in January 2002. By 1910, Lead had…
The Homestake Mine pit in Lead, South Dakota
Typical auriferous (gold-bearing) greenschist gold ore from the Homestake Mine. Two small masses of native gold (Au) are visible near the bottom margin.
The Homestake Mine in 1889
Share of the Homestake Mining Company, issued 5. November 1879