Near Deadwood in Lawrence County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Second Deadwood Gold Discovery
Pearson had been prospecting two miles downstream in August with the Frank Bryant party. Bryant and two others returned in November to their August find, and located their "Discovery Claim" on November 8, just one day before Pearson and Lardner. Neither party knew the other was nearby -- the gulch between was so completely choked with dead wood.
By January 1, 1876, fifty miners were working Deadwood Gulch with an average take of $10.00 per day, and by January 5 the entire gulch was occupied by mining claims.
The Deadwood gold rush began in 1875 but residents celebrate the Days of '76 because the city of Deadwood was laid out on April 28, 1876, and because the great rush of miners into Deadwood came in the spring of 1876. By August 1876 combined digging and building had produced a city resembling a "heap of lemon boxes propped up on broomsticks." In the century since 1876, the Lead-Deadwood mining district has produced gold estimated at over $800,000,000.
Erected 1976 by Lawrence County Historical Society, the South Dakota Department of Transporation and the South Dakota State Historical Society. (Marker Number 470.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1933.
Location. 44° 22.189′ N, 103° 45.483′ W. Marker is near Deadwood, South Dakota, in Lawrence County. Marker is at the intersection of U.S. 14 and Blacktail Road, on the right when traveling west on U.S. 14. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Deadwood SD 57732, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. George S. Mickelson Trail (approx. 1.2 miles away); Cheyenne & Deadwood Stage Route (approx. 1.2 miles away); Flooding & The Railroads (approx. 1.2 miles away); Good Roads Movement & Lawrence County (approx. 1.2 miles away); Pluma's Power Plants (approx. 1.2 miles away); Pluma: Right Place, Right Time (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Open Cut (approx. 1.2 miles away); Ray Davis and the Homestake Experiment (approx. 1.2 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,114 times since then and 28 times this year. Last updated on November 4, 2021. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.