(soft piano music) (strumming music) - [Narrator] The Homestake Open Cut is one of the best-known landmarks in the Black Hills.

Its presence represents the earliest efforts at underground and surface mining associated with the Gold Rush of 1876.

In the fall of 1875, Fred and Moses Manuel prospected in the area which is now known as the site of The Open Cut.

In April of 1876, a claim was staked on Gold Run Creek.

Ore samples proved the geology was very rich with gold.

Someone said, "There's enough gold to make a home stake," meaning, so much money could be made that the owners could retire and go home.

It was agreed that the term Homestake would make a good name for their claim, and the name stuck.

With the advancement of the white man into the Black Hills, the wheels of change began to turn.

The new Homestake Claim, consisting of only five acres, was purchased by George Hearst on November 5th of 1877.

On that very day, the Homestake Mining Company was incorporated.

George Hearst immediately saw the value of this vast ore body.

George knew that in order to succeed, he had to acquire as much of the mining resource as possible.

Over the next 15 years, Homestake Mining Company was able to consolidate ownership of the entire mining district.

Homestake became one of the largest gold-producing mines in the world.

The area, now referred to as The Open Cut, underwent numerous changes after 1876.

The communities of Lead, Central City, Terraville, and Deadwood witnessed a variety of alterations in their unique history.

Some of the changes were a direct result of mining; but other changes were a consequence of evolving social, cultural, and economic values.

Between 1876 and the early 1900s, gold mining boomed, and so did the local communities.

In 1919, signs of ground movement associated with underground excavation became evident.

Backfilling mined-out areas within the underground mine was a technique that had not been fully developed.

Whenever mining activities created a potential impact on local residents, Homestake officials worked diligently with homeowners and local civic leaders to relocate businesses, build new schools, construct new housing, or even provide loan guarantees for new home purchasers.

In the years to come, Lead felt the effects of this gradual sinking.

The town's central business district, located close to the mine, was particularly affected by ground subsidence.

The heart of the city was completely relocated by 1925.

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