Exploring Big Thunder Gold Mine

Big Thunder Gold Mine, formerly known as the Gold Hill Lode, is located in Keystone, South Dakota. The on-site museum houses one of the largest displays of mining equipment in the Black Hills.

This was an actual working gold mine dating back to the 1880s. It was claimed by two German immigrant miners who worked it for decades never striking it rich.

They went in search of the Lucky Boy gold vein, but never discovered it. In fact, in the multiple decades they spent prospecting the mine they didn’t even accumulate a pound of gold. How sad is that?

The tour is wheelchair accessible and pet friendly. It is well lit with no stairs and is a short easy walk (only around a quarter mile). Make sure you wear long sleeves or bring a light jacket for your tour inside the mine. No matter what the temperature is outside the temps inside the cave are constantly in the 50’s.

There’s just a couple spots where you might bump your noggin if you don’t duck low enough, but the hard hats they provide should help with that. Even though we were warned when to duck Jamey and I both managed to hit our heads lol.

During the tour your guide will discuss the history of the mine and share interesting facts on the inner workings of mining. A short history of the gold rush in 1876 is also discussed.

Various mining equipment is located throughout the mine. An discussion on each piece is given including it’s uses and what particular era from mining history they were popular in.

After the tour you will head to the Mining Museum. This large outdoor room is a pretty cool replica of the Tycoon Gold Mill that was originally built onsite in 1895. The tour guide provides more information on the exhibit and discusses the artifacts and equipment inside. If you have any questions the guide is more than happy to answer them so don’t be afraid to ask.

I think the whole tour lasted around 45 minutes. After the museum chat they gave a short demonstration on how to pan for gold. For a small fee you can pan for gold yourself in front of the mine. The gift shop actually has a nice collection of minerals and rocks if you’re into that sort of thing (I am).

I enjoyed the museum more than I did the tour of the actual mine. I also found the museum to be more interesting. Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the tour of the mine. Truth is I had never been in an actual gold mine before so that was a cool experience. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly and I would recommend this tour to others.

A week earlier we did the Black Hills Mining Museum and even though that was a tour of a simulated underground mine I just enjoyed it so much more and thought you got more bang for the buck with it. Neither spot will disappoint though and I recommend adding them both to your list of future vacation destinations.