Etta, South Dakota

Last updated

Etta, South Dakota
Etta Camp, Etta Mine
USA South Dakota location map.svg
Red pog.svg
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
[1]
4,577 ft (1,395 m)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)

Etta, also known as Etta Camp and Etta Mine, is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It was a successful mining town, known for its discovery of the largest spodumene crystal ever found.

Contents

History

Etta was in existence before the nearby town of Keystone. It was first started by the Harvey Peak Tin Mining, Milling, and Manufacturing Company as a mica mining camp. However, the ore was revealed to actually be cassiterite, a tin 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 in London, England in order to raise support for the company. However, the company dissolved after a lawsuit, and the mine ceased operation until 1898. That year, the mine began producing spodumene, a lithium 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]

Geography

Etta is located in the Black Hills of Pennington County. It is approximately one-half mile south of Keystone, and can be accessed using the Glendale road and turning south from U.S. Route 16A. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cassiterite</span> Tin oxide mineral, SnO₂

Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains the most important source of tin today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmoor tin mining</span>

The tin mining industry on Dartmoor, Devon, England, is thought to have originated in pre-Roman times, and continued right through to the 20th century, when the last commercially worked mine closed in November 1930. From the 12th century onwards tin mining was regulated by a stannary parliament which had its own laws.

Ragged Top is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. While the town was once a prosperous mining town, it declined due to miners' inability to transport their ore to smelters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbonate, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, United States of America

Carbonate, also known as Carbonate Camp, West Virginia, Virginia, and Carbonate City, is a ghost town located in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States.

Addie Camp, also known as Kennedyville, Addie Spur, or Canadaville, is a ghost town located in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It was a mining camp in the Black Hills that was active from the early 1880s until the 1910s.

Bismuth is a ghost town in the Black Hills of Custer County, South Dakota, United States.

Cambria (1889–1928) is a ghost town located in the Black Hills of Weston County, Wyoming, United States. It was a successful coal mining town for decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tinton, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, United States

Tinton is a ghost town in the Black Hills of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1876, it started out as a gold mining camp and later began to produce tin. It had a heavy decline in the early 20th century due to the decline in the mining industry, and the town was fully abandoned by the 1950s.

Tigerville or Tiger City (1878–1885) is a ghost town in the Black Hills of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The old mining town exemplifies the boom-and-bust fate of many Western towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trojan, South Dakota</span> Town in South Dakota, United States

Trojan, also known as Portland, is a ghost town in the Black Hills of Lawrence County, South Dakota. It was established by and named after the Trojan Mining Company.

Flatiron, formerly known as Yellow Creek or Flat Iron City, is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was known for its highly successful gold mining.

Maitland, originally called Garden City and sometimes misspelled Midland, is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was a mining community that boomed during the Black Hills Gold Rush, but was abandoned by about 1915.

Myers City, today called Myersville, is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States.

Rochford is an unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Roubaix, formerly known as Perry or Lewisville, is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It is not monitored by the U.S. Census Bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Buttes, Pima County, Arizona</span> Town

Twin Buttes is a populated place on the east flank of the Sierrita Mountains approximately twenty miles south of Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Named after a prominent hill located next to the town, Twin Buttes was founded as a small mining town circa 1903 and abandoned around 1930. Much of the actual town site is now buried underneath mine tailings, and all that remains is the Twin Buttes Cemetery.

Galena is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It is often considered to be a ghost town, even though a few families still live in the area. It is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terraville, South Dakota</span> Ghost town in South Dakota, United States of America

Terraville is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was founded in 1877 as a mining camp and later evolved into a town. It was purchased by the Homestake Mining Company and was destroyed in 1982 to make way for a new mine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvinebank State Treatment Works</span> Historic site in Queensland, Australia

Irvinebank State Treatment Works is a heritage-listed refinery off Jessie Street, Irvinebank, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1883 to c. 1908. It is also known as Loudoun Mill. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottery Mine</span> Historic site in New South Wales, Australia

Ottery Mine is a heritage-listed former mine located 8 km north-east of Emmaville, Glen Innes Severn, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1882 to 1939. The property is owned by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 "GNIS Detail - Elta Mine." USGS. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, 23 Sept. 1986. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Web. 20 Aug. 2013.
  2. 1 2 "A Thumbnail History of Keystone." Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine Keystone Area Historical Society. Keystone Area Historical Society, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Parker, Watson, and Hugh K. Lambert. Black Hills Ghost Towns. First ed. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press Incorporated, 1974. 88. 1 vols. Print.
  4. Chenoweth, Henry. "Etta - South Dakota Ghost Town." Ghost Towns. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013.