Flatiron, South Dakota Yellow Creek | |
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  Flatiron Location of Flatiron in South Dakota. | |
| Coordinates:44°19′35″N103°46′07″W / 44.3263733°N 103.7685318°W /44.3263733; -103.7685318[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Lawrence County |
| Elevation | 5,436 ft (1,657 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Flatiron, formerly known asYellow Creek orFlat Iron City, is aghost town inLawrence County,South Dakota, United States. It was known for its highly successfulgold mining.
As people began tomove into the Black Hills, several cabins sprang up around Yellow Creek in theBlack Hills. In 1894, the town began to be staked out, but was not yet fully founded; when the area boomed around May 1896, a series of large buildings and small cabins, including a two-story boarding house, were built. Flatiron was first advertised on a billboard as Flat Iron City.Freshwater springs were located nearby, and a well was dug.[2] Eventually, it became known as Yellow Creek, and then again as Flatiron.
TheChicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad ran through Flatiron, and the town was home to the Wasp No. 2 Mine, which was founded in the 1890s. Thisopen-pit mine was known for itsgold. The first few attempts to mine the area were slow until a new general manager, John Gray, took over direction. The mine was then able to employ the use ofexplosives to extend the mine and break up theore. Usually, 5,000 to 6,000 tons of ore were broken up at a time using about 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of powder. The ore was verylow-grade, but was found in large deposits. The ore was hauled from the site using the companyrailroad and was pushed through thecyanide mill usinggravity. The gold ore sold for US$1.6 a ton, which was a huge accomplishment at the time. The Little Blue Mine to the north became just as successful for producing gold andflux. The main railroad was eventually extended to the mill; however, thegrade was so steep that the cars had to be hauled up by awinch. Two separate railroad lines ran through the town. One began and ended in the town, while the other lead into the town. The finely-groundtailings were used asfill andballast in the form ofsand.[3]
The town prospered because of the mine. Shortly after its founding, it had one dozen homes.[2] By 1915, it had about 30 buildings, including a school, several large mills, many stores, and a post office.[4] The tailings covered one side of a nearby large valley. In 1927, a powerful flood resulting from heavy rain caused this accumulated tailings to slump. The railroad, train, and engine were buried under several feet of sand, killing the engineer in the process. The tracks were not uncovered until around 1974, whenLead andDeadwood, two neighboring towns, began to use the tailings tosand icy roads during winter. The mines eventually shut down and the town was completely abandoned. More than 80% of the town has sunk into the caving tunnels below, and the rest are onlyfoundations.[3]
Flatiron is located in theBlack Hills of east-centralLawrence County. It is approximately two miles (3.2 km) south ofLead. The town itself is built on the side of a hill and near a large valley. To the north is the abandoned Little Blue Mine.[3]
Municipalities and communities ofLawrence County, South Dakota,United States | ||
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