Etta, South Dakota Etta Camp, Etta Mine | |
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  Etta Location of Etta in South Dakota. | |
| Coordinates (Etta Mine):43°52′51″N103°25′07″W / 43.8808213°N 103.4185236°W /43.8808213; -103.4185236[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Pennington County |
| Elevation | 4,577 ft (1,395 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Etta, also known asEtta Camp andEtta Mine, is aghost town inPennington County,South Dakota, United States. It was a successful mining town, known for its discovery of the largestspodumenecrystal ever found.
Etta was in existence before the nearby town ofKeystone. It was first started by the Harvey Peak Tin Mining, Milling, and Manufacturing Company as amica mining camp. However, the ore was revealed to actually becassiterite, atin ore; this discovery caused dozens of new mines to spring up all over the Black Hills. Most of these mines were not successful because there was not a large amount of tin in the area.[2] The company built a mill and smelter in 1883. During the mining operations, a large lump of tin weighing 1,200 pounds (540 kg) was melted from hand-picked cassiterite deposits; the miners described it as being as "big as a small boy." This tin was displayed to potential shareholders inLondon, England in order to raise support for the company. However, the company dissolved after alawsuit, and the mine ceased operation until 1898. That year, the mine began producingspodumene, alithium ore, and became well known for its huge crystals. The largest spodumene crystal in the world was found in the mine. Until about 1900, Etta had the only post office in the Keystone area, and by that time, its population was 24.[3] In the 1920s, the mining operations flourished.[2] The mine shut down in 1959, and the town was eventually abandoned.[4] All that remains are the foundations of the smelter and mill, as well as the mine itself.[3]
Etta is located in theBlack Hills ofPennington County. It is approximately one-half mile south ofKeystone, and can be accessed using the Glendale road and turning south fromU.S. Route 16A.[3]
Municipalities and communities ofPennington County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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| Former CDP | ||
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| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |