Historic Lead Past and Present photobooklet

Carlson, Sarah; Martin, Jean; Fuller, Jacque; Nevin, Mike; Roselles, Les; Baillargeon, Tom; Rogers-Popejoy, Anne; Klein, Matt; Carlson, Richard

"Lead (pronounced 'leed') was officially founded on July 10, 1876, after the discovery of placer gold in Gold Run Gulch. The name Lead comes from a mining term: an outcropping of gold bearing ore. One of the first enterprises of the 1876 Gold Rush was the Homestake Gold Mine. Homestake was claimed by brothers Fred and Moses Manuel on April 9, 1976. In June of 877 George purchased the claim from the Manuel brothers; the mine would go on to produce over 40 million ounces of gold during its lifetime, valuing over a billion dollars, in addition to many technological and civic achievements. The Homestake was America's longest continuously operated gold mine. It closed in 2002 as the oldest, largest and deepest mine in the western hemisphere, stretching over 8,000 feet below Lead. The City of Homestake share an inseparable history. As a company town, Lead depended on Homestake's economic stability for more than a century. The company is almost entirely responsible for the city's built environment visible in this publication. In turn, Homestake depended on Lead to provide a home community for its employees. Phoebe Hearst, wife of George, was instrumental in making Lead more livable. She established the public library and the Hearst Free Kindergarten, and she arranged for the Opera House and Recreation Building to be constructed as gifts to the community from the company. Homestake's influence on Lead is still visible today. This publication features photographs of ten geographic sites in Lead, both historically significant and best suitable for re-photography. Historic photographs were obtained from local archives, and re-photography was conducted by Lead resident Richard Carlson. This project is particularly important in a town that has seen as much change to the built environment as Lead. Buildings and landscapes featured in these historic photographs are easily forgotten without the wisdom of preservation. In these pages, you will find many photographs of Homestake operations, as well as a representation of nearly every era of architecture: Victorian, Art Deco, American Foursquare, Tudor Revival, and modern. This publication pairs well with the Historic Lead Walking Tour and serves as an excellent introduction to our historic city." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the South Dakota State Historical Society, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00031).

Historic Lead Past and Present photobooklet

Collections