2011 Moon Walks conclude at Gold Mountain Mine

For a few of the 150 people who wandered up a hill about four miles northwest of Hill City last Saturday evening (9/10/11), it was an opportunity to see just how much has been completed in the restoration and preservation work at an old gold mine.  They had visited the site a few years ago on an earlier "Moon Walk" sponsored by the Black Hills National Forest.  The Gold Mountain Mine was built long after the first rush for gold in the hills, but it’s likely to grow in popularity in coming years.

The mill frame and boiler building of the old mine were the focus of the final Black Hills National Forest Moon Walk 2011 series, completing another season of diverse and educational treks through various parts of the Black Hills.

Amy Ballard, Recreational Forester with the U.S. Forest Service has been coordinating the popular hiking series, which began in 1996 and has accommodated more than 12,500 participants in some 121 programs.

It was encore time for Forest Service archaeologist Michael Salisbury, who has served as project manager on the Gold Mountain Mine effort, a coordinated effort between the Black Hill Historic Preservation Trust, the U.S. Forest Service, and a bevy of volunteers who’ve donated their time and talent to the project.

Construction on the original mine started in 1924.

“They finished it sometime around 1929,” said Salisbury, “and it operated all the way up to the beginning of World War Two, and that’s when War Order L208 was enforced and all precious mineral mining in the United States was shut down, and all of that energy was targeted into the war effort and the manufacture of war goods.”

Like so many such operations that closed down at the onset of the war, the Gold Mountain Mine simply never reopened (but then gold prices weren't  $1,800 an ounce either!).

In the years following, while the site was likely a popular destination for history buffs and weekend hikers, the property continued to deteriorate and became something of a safety hazard.  Finally, in 2007, the old mine was scheduled for demolition.

But through the vision and hard work of the Black Hills Historical Preservation Trust, the U.S. Forest Service, and an energetic group of folks from the Passport in Time – who volunteered their time and many talents – this last standing piece of Black Hills mining history has been preserved.

Last summer, more than 30 volunteers from Passport in Time participated in two separate sessions that first concentrated on replacing missing cross members and rehabilitating existing structural braces, while refurbishing the interior and exterior of the lower ore bin.

Then they rehabilitated the upper ore bin and the main roof, installed the iron “grizzly” ore separator and reconstructed the upper head house. 

Salisbury noted that the Gold Mountain mill frame now looks pretty much as it did during its original period of activity before World War Two, when there were as many as seven steam engines operating on the site, providing much-needed power to the mining operation.

“Thanks to the countless hours of dedication and hard work of many, Gold Mountain will stand as a glimpse into the past of an industry that was a primary driving force behind the settlement of the American west,” said Salisbury.  He said he expects that interpretive signage will be in place at the mine by next August, capping a very successful join endeavor.

Volunteers who worked on the project “did not disappoint,” observed Salisbury.

And the same may be said about the 2011 season of the Black Hills National Forest Moon Walks.  Amy Ballard and the entire U.S. Forest Service gang did a great job organizing and conducting these excellent  forays into different areas and aspects of the Black Hills.

Want to know more about the 2011 Moon Walk season?  You'll find narratives right here on Black Hills Journal and an abundance of photographs from the walks in our Moon Walk Gallery.

We’re already anticipating the 2012 season!