The fall season always brings mixed feelings… beautiful colors and the crisp mountain air are a joy.

        The flip side, of course, is that winter approaches and so does hunting season… so wear bright colors out there prospecting! 

        We ventured back to the Keystone area Saturday and were reminded of the legend of the Holy Terror.

        First of all, did you know that what you see from the road in Historic Keystone is not the Holy Terror, but the Keystone Mine?

        So the story goes that Franklin’s daughter discovered gold-bearing float on the surface and he proceeded to develop the Holy Terror, thought to be named after his wife Jenny who often had to “escort” him home from the local bars.

        Did you know also, that the town of Keystone is located on the site of a large placer deposit?  It was mined out and the historic town located on the site.

        (More recent photos of the Holy Terror on our web site at http://)www.blackhillsgoldmines.com

        A lot of the rich placer area has been removed from mineral entry, we think probably because of its proximity to Mt. Rushmore.

        We spent a considerable amount of time discussing the politics of mining with a new-found friend at Keystone.  It is a tangled web of federal and state politics, with a pinch of local politics thrown in for good measure.  We do have a mining company that has expressed interest in our lode properties, but whether they decide to brave this frontier of politics will be interesting!

        Meanwhile, almost daily we have e-mails expressing an interest in placer claims.  To this end, we ventured to the Tinton area Sunday to explore some open ground.  It is a double mission, having found a claim for a friend who needs direction to his new prospect! 

        Iron Creek up through Tinton was a vista of color, dwindling to past-peak as we approached upper Spearfish Canyon.  There were tons of cars at Roughloch Falls, but the colors were much better further down the canyon.

        Keep contacting us for claims…. Time runs out as the winter months approach!