These 12 Rare Photos Show South Dakota’s Gold Rush History Like Never Before

The gold rush in the Dakota Territory took off around 1874, after George Armstrong Custer and his men found gold in the Black Hills. The boom created several towns and thousands flocked to the area in hopes of striking it big. Here are some vintage photos, found at the Library of Congress, from South Dakota's gold rush. Take a look!

1. This photo is titled, "Gold Dust" and was taken in Rockerville in 1889. The men in the photo are "old timers" Spriggs, Lamb and Dillon.

2. Here are Spriggs, Lamb and Dillon again, this time panning and washing gold.

3. This 1890 photo shows a Wells Fargo Express wagon and guards. The wagon contained $250,000 in gold bullion, and highway robbery was common, so guards were necessary. The gold came from a Mine in Deadwood.

4. Here's a photo depicting the inner workings of the Homestake Mine in Lead, 1908.

5. Here's the outside of the Homestake Mine in 1889.

6. Prospectors making their way to a new gold field, hoping to strike it rich, 1889.

7. These townspeople in Deadwood are celebrating the opening of the largest reduction works in the world, 1888.

8. This photo, taken in 1888, shows the Caledonia No. 1, Deadwood Terra No. 2, Terra No. 3, gold stamp mines.

9. Weighing the gold bricks in Lead, 1902.

10. Men working during "Cleanup Day" at the Deadwood Terra Gold Stamp Mill, 1888.

11. DeSmet Gold Stamp Mill, Central City, 1888.

12. The town of Deadwood, date unknown.

If you're interested in more vintage photos of South Dakota, take a look at these 14 photos that are some of the oldest ever taken here.