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History Below The Pines, Spearfish, SD (2025)

09/13/2025

History takes us everywhere from above ground to below! We are fortunate to be able to work with landowners and document their privately owned mines.

These are some of our favorite photos from below the surface! The History Below The Pines idea was born underground, and it was the mines that first got us into this history research project! They have a special place in our hearts.

You never know what you will find underground. We have seen mining cars, to old pick axes, to drill bits hanging on the walls in the equipment stopes, to sweating dynamite, to unique carvings, and so much more! These mines hold so much history in them, and we can't wait to document more of them!

This grouping of photos are some of the most unique mines that we have gotten the chance to explore and document!

Enjoy this glimpse of underground privately owned history! 👀

-HBP

09/12/2025

Here is a "Kool Throwback!"

Welcome to "Camp Kool" in Spearfish South Dakota. This once rustic motel sat along Jackson Blvd and Meier Avenue. At the time of this photo which is unknown the motel had all the modern luxuries of home including phones, TVs, AC, and some of the rooms/cabins even had kitchens in them for longer stays.

The motel was owned and operated by the Collins couple out of Spearfish. They prided themselves on always having clean rooms and quality stays! The motel was located just minutes from the Famous Passion Play Grounds(now abandoned), which at the time was one of the largest Amphitheaters in America!

Unfortunately, we do not have a present photo of the motel, but it looks a bit different now. Today, it is home to many families as it has been converted into apartments. It seems at some point the cabins were torn down. The past motel is now made of white bricks with beautiful murals of the Black Hills on it. The house in the center is still standing today and has been painted red. Otherwise, the former motel is still standing today!

We hope you enjoyed this fun throwback! Do you have memories of this motel or the Passion Play in Spearfish!? Feel free to share!

- HBP

09/10/2025

On this day, 116 years ago, this postcard was postmarked!

Welcome to Lee Street in Deadwood South Dakota! Old image description: This street would have run between the Syndicate block on the left and Clark Mullen/& Munn Block on the right back in the day.

The back story on the "Mullen/Clark Building." We discovered through research that in 1902 on a cold January day, parts of Lee Street caught fire. Don't worry... this was not the end of Lee Street but just the beginning... post fire, two men came forward James Munn and Barney Mullen. These two men would end up purchasing the charred remains of the buildings.

The end goal of theirs was to build a three story commercial building on Lee Street. The plan showed commercial spaces on the ground level and private rooms and offices on the 2nd and 3rd floors.

May of that year only 5 months after the flames took it over, the building would start being rebuilt. We found via research that this building had all the comforts of home, including hot and cold water along with full electricity.

The first businesses to move into this new space in 1903 would include: The Hidden Fortune Mining Co., Pacific Underwriting Co., The KG Philips' Drug Store, and many other businesses. The nearby or adjacent building housed many cafes, a milk depot, a tailor, a lunch bar, and many other businesses throughout the years.

On the left side was the Syndicate Block, which was designed in 1888 and built in 1889 by J.K.P Miller. The three story prominent business building housed many businesses throughout the years to include: The Famous Bloom's Clothing, Wilson Law Offices, Hickey's Dentist Office, Western Dakota Loan Office, and many other important businesses to even include a bank!

Sadly, 98 short years after the Syndicate Block was built, it burned. On a freezing evening in 1987, the famed block caught fire and would burn to the ground. According to newspaper articles, the fire ignited in the basement of what was the "Frontier Drug Store."" It quickly went on to burn the Lee Street side of the building. The fire quickly went from a structure fire to a massive blaze! Over 16 fire departments showed up to fight the blaze! For nearly six hours, firefighters would go on to fight the blaze in sub zero temps. The fire departments ended up using over 500,000 gallons of water to put the fire out. (This is enough water to fill a small community's water tank!)

Post fire in 1999, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites by Gold Dust would be built. Today, this four story building hotel is quite possibly one of the busiest hotels in Deadwood as it sits right on the main drag of downtown Historic Deadwood. Across the street, the formerly named the Clark Mullen Building is today known as the Hotel By Gold Dust. this hotel is also a very busy hotel! It houses both a hotel and an escape room!

Both of the businesses and their staff are very knowledgeable of the history of their buildings and enjoy chatting about it! Next time you are in Historic Deadwood, you can see this exact spot by going to Lee Street!

We hope you enjoyed this look into Deadwood history! Keep checking back for more Black Hills history!

-HBP

09/09/2025

School was in session...

As the mines popped up on the mountainsides of the Black Hills the mining camps followed. With the camps came many businesses, churches, saloons, stables, and schools to support the camps. Education was important back then! Let's talk about it!

The now Silver City Community Hall used to house the Silver City School. It was built in the 1920s and was the second school house to service the mining town of Silver City, South Dakota. From mid 1920s to 1968, the district owned it as an educational institution. In 1968, the district actually transferred ownership from the school district to being property of the Silver City Volunteer Fire Department.

When the school switched hands, the fire department wanted to make sure the history of the school house stays alive for years to come. When it is not in use for fire department training programs they have worked it out with the local historical society to make the school house available to individuals, private groups, clubs, and other organizations that need a place to meet or hold events.

The school house preservation is solely funded by donations gifted by those who live in the gulch and donations gifted in exchange for use of the school house. We are glad to see the historical building is being used and preserved.

All in all, we do not know a ton on the history of this specific school house, but you do not see many of these houses still around in today's world.

A brief history on the community of Silver City, SD.

Silver City was founded by the Gorman Brothers in 1876 as a mining camp. When the brothers founded the town, they threw around the name "Camp Gorman." However, that name didn't stick... instead, the camp was zoned out/platted and received the name "Silver City."" It was considered a Black Hills boom town back in the day. Some of the first buildings in town included: a general store, a full sawmill, a Catholic Church, a hotel, and even a US Post Office. After these buildings were completed, it went from being known as a mining camp to a mining town. By 1878, the town had a population of over 300 people. According to the Silver City Historical Society, most of the towns population either worked at the Homestake or nearby mines in the gulch.

In 1906, the town saw even more growth when the Crouch Line(The Railroad) was routed through town. This was huge for the local sawmill as it could transport the wood to nearby communities, giving the mill more business.

In 1907, tragedy struck the town when they had a torrential flood take out most if not all of the railroad bridges in town. The flood would go on to require extensive damage to the town and to the rail that came through town. Because of the severity of the damage, they were unable to make some repairs.

Decline started to hit the gulch as most of the mines played out. The dreams of miners striking it rich seemed to fade as quickly as the town.

Later on, Silver City would go on to transfer from a once mining boom town to a local resort town. Today, the town is home to many year-long homes as well as resort summer homes. Some call it a ghost town, and others call it home!

For more information and history on the town, you can check out the "Silver City Historical Society" by visiting : www.SilverCitySD.com

Do you know history on this marvelous building?! Feel free to comment below!

-HBP

09/08/2025

Ranching is important to South Dakota! Along with the ranches came the ranching communities! Let's talk about it!

Today, we visited the town of White Owl! Some would call this town a ghost town. Others would say that it is far from it. In fact, in 2010, the census showed 62 people. However, there is still much to the town today!

The building photographed was built in 1904 and was the only remaining building in town. The rest of the town perished in 1912 during the White Owl Fire.

White Owl was founded in 1890 to support the nearby ranches in the area. In 1893, the town started to grow by opening the first post office. This would make it official. Beyond their homes went up, local businesses grew, and the town was home to sorts of events throughout the years. From dances to music to family events and other

In 1912, on an autumn afternoon, the White Owl Fire Sparked. The prairie fire took off, and with it included various crops, fields, ranches, and a great deal of the town! An interesting article on Ranchers.Net talks about how the majority of the cattle survived the fire by getting into a watering hole at a nearby ranch. That entire water hole was actually surrounded by flames at one point! Smart animals!

The fire burned a lot of town. However, it spared the old general store that also acted as a U.S. Post Office among other businesses throughout the years. Today, the building is very much alive and is home to a women's boutique and the current U.S. Post Office. Ladies, this business is worth the stop if you are nearby!

We read that in July of 2023, the town celebrated 130 years, and it had quite the celebration! Including history talks! It seems that the history and the town of White Owl are still very much alive today!

- HBP

09/05/2025

There is a lot of talk about the new theme park "LibertyLand" coming to the Black Hills these days, but did you know Custer, South Dakota, was home to a theme park at one point!? Nope, we are not talking about Flintstones Park either! 👀

The name of the park was "Wild West World." It was located in Custer South Dakota. If you have never heard of it, you are not the only one. It was only open from about 1984 - 1986. It was very short-lived!

The theme park was exactly what the name was... a wild west world. A western style theme park. The park had everything from false front buildings to a main street to having large thrill roller-coasters. The park had many other thrill rides as well( 16 rides to be exact), including a ferris wheel, a throw ride, a train ride, and many other rides. The theme park had reenactments, stores(25+ shops), and many other areas of interest. We even learned it had cowboy anamatronics! It seems this place was supposed to boom. Maybe it took a lesson from other "boom towns" in the Black Hills, and it quickly faded just like they did back in the day...

Don't believe us?! Ya, we didn't believe it when we read about it either. We did some internet searching and found that famed author and historian Watson Parker had documented the theme park shortly before it met its demise in 1985. There are not a ton of photos of it that we could find, but there are a few! Watson included a journal entry on it

"Custer, Amusement Park; 1985. This misfortunate extravaganza failed in 1986." The amusement park was known as Wild West World." - Watson Parker

(The photo attached was of an old building in Custer, SD. It did not have anything to do with the theme park. However, if you go online to the Digital Library of South Dakota and search "Wild West World," you will be able to see quite a few photos of the large theme park in its glory days... or shall we say it's hay day?!

The Black Hills have always been a magnet for theme parks of all shapes and sizes! From "Flintstones" to "Wild West World" to what was supposed to be a newer age theme park near Deadwood that never came to fruition to the new "LibertyLand" Theme Park in Rapid City. Who knows what other theme parks will come to the hills in the future. Only time will tell!

Do you remember "Wild West World"?! Feel free to drop your memories and photos below! Let's talk about it!

(UPDATE: We have added a screenshot of the old rollercoaster. Interestingly enough, it was taken apart and moved across the country five times in a row. The photo was taken of it last in 2020.)

- HBP

09/03/2025

Did you know the Black Hills was supposed to be home to one of the largest resort towns in the USA in the 1880s?! Let's talk about it!

This now privately owned ghost town was founded in 1888 for its warm mineral spring waters that were located nearby! The hopes were high for the town. In fact, the town had built a very large and beautiful four story hotel and laid out over 36 large city blocks. On top of that, numerous businesses were built including a fancy state of the art bowling alley, a city pavilion, a two story bank, a exclusive club for the rich/famous, and around 20 large family homes. This was the next El Dorado resort town in the west or so the townspeople thought...

Well, the hopes and dreams of being the next biggest town faded faster than a train rolling down the tracks. Speaking of trains, that is what this town was holding its breath on. They had the warm mineral springs for soaking, the fancy sandstone buildings, ornate hotels, a full business district, but didn't have a train station. Back in the day, if you did not have a train station, chances were you did not last very long...

This now ghost town was now holding out for the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad. The townspeople were hoping the train would come through town on its way through to the other towns in the Black Hills. Unfortunately, due to high prices, the rail line decided to take another route instead. The train never came, and what was supposed to be the next big thing faded as fast as it was built. The dreams and the 36 city blocks never became reality.

In the early 1970s. Famed author and Black Hills Historian Watson Parker visited the town. His notes indicate that the hotel was nearly gone, a business block, three houses, a bowling alley, the old livery, the city pavilion, and the bankers house were all still present at the town.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing(2025), all that remains is the W. Allen City Bank which was named after the town banker. His bank is a beautiful two story sandstone building with large store windows. The town and the bank are both now occupied and are privately owned.

Please respect the landowners and DO NOT trespass.

- HBP

09/02/2025

Many of you have seen our videos and photos of the Former Nichols Cancer Sanatorium from recent filming, but most of you want to know the history of it, and that is what we will talk about today!

First, we need to start at the very beginning. In the photos, you will see a photo of Dr. Perry Lewis Nichols. He was born February 20th to a small farming family from Iowa. Perry grew up as a classic farm kid from the midwest. He helped plow, take care of the animals, and even make repairs on the house from time to time. However, Perry felt that he was called to more.

In 1883, Perry enrolled in college at Iowa state, which then led him to the University of the South. According to Google, it is now known as "Sewanee." It was here he began is adventures in medicine. In 1901, Perry received his medical diploma. Shortly after graduation, Dr. Perry moved to Watertown South Dakota. It was there that he began his practice.

It turns out Watertown was not all that it was coughed up to be at the time. In 1904, he relocated himself and his practice to present day Hot Springs South Dakota.

His practice focused on treating cancer patients. From what we found through research, he used a method referred to as "The Escharotic Method."" This method used caustic arsenic and zinc pastes to help fight cancer. Well, it turns out his practice helped many people. His business went big. He actually ended up moving in 1907 to Savannah, Missouri, and building a practice there as well...

Long story short, he died in Missouri in 1925. In 1933, the American Medical Association investigated his method... It turns out it did not actually work...

The History Of The Building-

1907: The building now known as Felde Castle was established for cancer treatment. Originally, it had an occupancy of 25. That same year, it went up to 500.

1914: Dr. Nichols left. Building went abandoned
1916: Building was turned into apartments

1918: Dr. Nichols returned to hand over the keys to the German Lutheran Management Team. It was turned into a training school for nurses

1938: The South Dakota State Legislature turned it into the Crippled Children's Hospital

1946: An emergency edition was placed on the hospital for polio. Also added was a babysitting area for staff kids

1947: Lots of changes inside the hospital. Wings were switched around, patients were moved, offices switched, etc.

1951: West River Crippled Children's Hospital and Polio used only the first floor

1952: The second floor addition to the hospital was completed. The surgery center was located to second floor at that time. Along with many other changes inside the hospital itself. This was also the same year that research shows us the "Salk Vaccine" came out. This significantly dropped polio cases. It became apparent they did not need a polio center. They decided to change it and make it a health center for handicap use. It was also noted the hospital needed more work than could be afforded at the time.

1963: The Community of Hot Springs got together to put on a fundraiser for revamping. The community wanted a modern-day hospital able to bed 50 to 60 people.

1964: "Plot Twist" The hospital closed its doors in June of that year.

1965: Revamping construction began. It turns out the fundraiser raised more than enough!!!

1967: The NEW Southern Hills General Hospital opened its doors. That same year, construction began on the new nursing home attached.

1968: Nursing home opened its doors

1978: First Floor is now closed

1980: Southern Hills Medical Center was established.

1982: New window insulation was placed to keep heat in during the tough winters.

1983: Good news, bad news... New swing beds approved for the hospital! Bad news... Southern Hills Medical Center is closing.

1984: The NEW Age... The hospital went completely computerized!

1985: The hospital is now for sale!

1987: New life in the building... Southern Hills Family Physicians move into the first floor.

1994: New X-ray equipment is installed

1995: Instagram Care Clinic opened. All new computers and now computers are online with Northern Hills Hospitals.

2014: The nursing home closed permanently, and residence became civilian private property.

Present Day: The former Sanatorium is being well taken care of! A few of the rooms are rented out to businesses like: a tattoo artist, a music school, A Massage Parlor, and many more. There is new life in the building and well maybe some past life too...

Special thank you to the owners and find a grave for all the history!

08/29/2025

As we sit at our desk on this Friday before the long Labor Day Weekend we can only think of all the all the places that we got to document this summer! We got to see a ton but we wouldn't have been able to do it without the army who is behind us.

History Below The Pines is beyond grateful to all the landowners, land managers, legal teams, museums, historical societies, history clubs, and everyone else who helped us out this summer! It seriously takes an army!

We are also lucky to have our group of core history friends who help make these adventures happen: Tim, Ethan, Kaden, Josh, and many more! Each of these friends has a niche whether it is photography, history knowledge, map reading skills, museum info, and much more.

As you flip through the photos you may catch glimpses of the videographer and cinematographer. They have been super active with us this summer and we are beyond grateful to have them join us on our countless adventures! Thank you to Clark and Tristan for all their hard work this summer!

All of these individuals come together to make History Below The Pines what it is! They all have day jobs, families, and lives outside history. So we appreciate them year after year setting aside their outside lives and helping us preserve history.

We do not charge for this or sell any merchandise. We pay for our own gas, gear, cameras, history research guides, and every other cost out of pocket. We do it for you guys!

We started our summer off in April bright and early helping sort through an estate that housed a ton of Black Hills history! This was a fun one as we got to look at a ton of old history and read some old notes and such. This was also very special to us as the man who owned rhis collection was quite the historian! We were grateful to have been invited to help sort through it!

April Break Down:
- Sorted through private historical collection

May was a big month for us! We worked two private land digs. One of the digs took place at an old ghost town/ghost mine. We unearthed things like a fine China cup, old bottles, old bricks, and so much more. The second dig we unearthed all sorts of kitchen materials at an old privately-owned abandoned logging camp. Towards the middle of May we picked back up on our Infern Bar project and took a few folks underground in the old tavern to interview them!

End of May we documented an old general store in Wyoming where we had exclusive access to document the now abandoned post office that had just been taken offline.

May:
- Old Mine Dig
- Old Logging Camp Dig
- Filming at old Inferno Bar
- Documented old logging camp
- Spoke in Spearfish

June was another busy month for us! We were fortunate to have been invited to the Galena History Walk where we set up a table and talked to a ton of you guys! We also got to explore and document the depths of an old 1890s silver mine that sits on private property. Towards the end of the month we were invited to document and research the history of an old abandoned Catholic Church and a nearby now defunct secret society house that dates back to the 1900s.

June Break down
- Tabled at Galena History Walk
- Documented a private silver mine
- Documented an abandoned church
- Documented a secret society house

July is usually our quietest summer month! We usually only have a few adventures and such. This summer was a more quiet July. We started out the month documenting a privately owned ghost town cemetery. From there we were invited to come see an old privately owned ran museum. We spent the rest of the month researching. It was tough... This July was a heavy moisture month and it kind of ruined our explorations.

July Break Down:
- Documented a privately owned ghost town Cemetery
- Documented a privately owned museum
- Researched

August was more of a busy month for us! August 2nd we were invited to come document an old abandoned tin mine that dated back to the 1900s. From there we were out of the state documenting an old company mining town that was very expansive! This was a neat one to see because we had researched so much about it! Following that we did lots of research and we made several landowner connections for either September or next summer. To round off August we were invited to come document an old now defunct abandoned hospital from the 1900s. We are actually headed back there in a few days to film more!

August Break Down:
- Privately owned Tin Mine
- Out of state mining ghost town
- defunct abandoned hospital visit

Outside of the months we failed to mention we had numerous speaking engagements this summer, appeared on more than a few podcasts, and made significant growth on social media! It has been by far the busiest summer for History Below The Pines yet!

Lastly we want to thank all of you guys for your interest, ongoing support, and help throughout the years! History Below The Pines would not be there without our loyal followers, family, friends, and supporters. You guys are the reason we keep posting day in and day out!

So, from a grateful team, tired unit, out of ink pen, full notebook, and memory card full history page THANK YOU!

We will spend the next few months going through content and editing YouTube videos from this past summer! Do not worry we will still have plenty of content coming your way!

- HBP

08/29/2025

If you are a fan of Paul Horsted and his before and after photos, you may like this post! P.S. we are not trying to copy Paul! We have learned a ton from him and are lucky to have him here in the Hills!

We found these two postcards in our collection! The funny thing is we didn't notice that they matched until today! It's almost the same exact photo just 65 years apart. The photographer in the 1962 photo is off by just about half a block! Other than that, it matches up pretty well.

The first photo was taken on Spearfish Main Street in 1909. The back of the postcard reads:

"Hello Lloyd - Have been intending to answer your long neglected postal for a long time. You should have been in Omaha two weeks ago last Sunday - as Louise & I were here or rather passed thru - expect you heard about it from Lee B. What are you doing now. Hoping you're having a nice time. Love, Babe"

Addressed to: Mr. Lloyd Vouten, S. Omaha
Postmarked: Springfield, July 30, 9 AM, 1909

This all original postcard is kept in an air-tight plastic sleeve to help preserve its longevity and history.

Studying the image, if you look closely, it seems Spearfish had a marching band or a city band of sorts. Also, if you look down Main Street, you will see the matching building to the Bank of Spearfish. It was referred to as the American National Bank. Today, that building is the home of the infamous Back Porch Bar.

Where the Bank of Spearfish was located has changed over the years! As you can see from the 1962 photo, it was at one time the home of the Tomahawk Bar, among many other businesses. Today, it is the home of Visit Spearfish. A local story that we heard is that apparently there were some "shady" happenings that took place on the second floor of the old Bank that sat at 603 Main Street and that is why it was torn down... Who knows?! Maybe it is just a story...

In the 1962 photograph, you can see Kelleys Motor Hotel. That housed a cafe, hotel, and liquor store. From what we were able to gather, it seems that this building caught fire in 1975.

It is kind of interesting... looking at the 1960s photo, there seems to be more than a few cafes in the image. Today, Spearfish is known for housing many coffee shops. It seems some things never change...

We hope you enjoyed this throwback! If we have any Spearfish people who follow the page, we would love some insight. What sat where the Visit Spearfish building is today?!

-HBP

History Below The Pines

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