BORN - 1891
POP. 311 ~~ EL. 4,340.
LOCATED BASE OF
MT.RUSHMORE
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"LACK OF DOCUMENTATION"
NO LACK OF HISTORY FOR MOST AREA'S OF THE BLACK HILLS.
FOR THE AREA'S AROUND UPPER BATTLE CREEK AND AT THE BASE OF MT. RUSHMORE, THERE ARE VERY LITTLE RECORD'S AVAILABLE.
THIS AREA INCOMPASSES,KEYSTONE,ROCKERVILLE AND HARNEY. DO PARTLY TO DRIFTING POPULATION OF GOLD MINERS AND FIRES THAT DESTROYED MOST OF THE OLD PAPERS AND RECORDS.
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| " A LITTLE HISTORY OF KEYSTONE " |
The first permanent settler in area was Fred J. Cross who settled in a one room cabin one mile north in Buckeye Gulch in 1877. The settlement was called Crossville.
In 1891,William B.Franklin, Thomas G. Blair, and Jacob Reed located the Keystone Mine and the community after the mine.
The town grew slowly until the discovery gold - quartz at the base of Mt. Aetna.This new claim was located by Franklin and Blair on June 28, 1894. Many of Fanklin's friends suggested he name the new location after his wife, a fairly common practice at the time.Franklin visited the many saloons in Keystone,and his wife, Jenny,would end up having to drag him home by the arm.Franklin would wink at his friends and say ,"AIN'T SHE A HOLY TERROR?"
The new Holy Terror Mine turned out to be one of the richest gold mines in the county.Keystone continued to boom, reached a population of over 2000 people, and was the largest city in Pennington County,larger than Rapid City at the time.
The railroad reached Keystone on OCTOBER22,1901 which proved to be a big factor in the future of the mines and later the carving of Mount Rushmore.
As the mining industry fell into decline, the ever increasing tourist industry has provided a boost to the local economy.
It is our intent to promote our mining and logging heritage
with a community celebration called, "HOLY TERROR DAYS".
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SCHOOL HELD IN BASEMENT
OF THE CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH.
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" SOUTH DAKOTA'S "
HIGHEST POINT
HARNEY PEAK
7,242'
LOWEST POINT
926'
BIG STONE LAKE
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