Mining claims in South Dakota
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The hardrock mining industry owns gold, silver, and other precious metals and minerals beneath an estimated 22,036 acres of U.S. public land in South Dakota, resources worth millions of dollars a year, acquired for as little as $0.84 per acre and held in perpetuity for a yearly rental fee as low as $0.62 an acre. Under a 132-year-old law originally intended to spur development of the West, an industry dominated by a handful of multinational corporations pays no federal royalties, and leaves behind a landscape of dramatically diminished value, scarred with tunnels, pits, and toxic waste piles.
| Quick facts about mining claims in South Dakota |
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• Total number of claim-holders: 178 • Acres of public land claimed by the mining industry, estimated: 22,036 (18 times Mount Rushmore National Memorial (1278 acres)) • Dollars paid for each acre: as little as $0.84, and as little as $0.62 yearly rental fee • Reimbursement to the federal government for gold, silver and other precious metals taken from public land: $0 • Percentage of claims held by foreign companies: 20% • Land area ever claimed by the mining industry nationally, estimated: 79 million acres (the size of New Mexico) |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Claim Owners in South Dakota Ranked by Acres Claimed
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Claims | Acreage Claimed | Date(s) Filed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCC Dacotah Inc | Rapid City, SD | 200 | 4,000 | 2002 |
| 2 | Gold Corp Inc | World HQ in Canada | 174 | 3,595 | 1981 to 1998 |
| 3 | Pete Lien & Sons Inc | Rapid City, SD | 65 | 1,332 | 1965 to 2001 |
| 4 | AMCOL International Corp | Arlington Heights, IL | 45 | 1,140 | 1920 to 1985 |
| 5 | St Joe Richmond Hill | Elko, NV | 47 | 971 | 1980 to 1987 |
| 6 | Barrick Gold Corporation | World HQ in Canada | 35 | 723 | 1983 to 2003 |
| 7 | Bond Gold Richmond | Elko, NV | 29 | 599 | 1987 to 1989 |
| 8 | Pacer Corp | Custer, SD | 26 | 537 | 1994 to 2003 |
| 9 | Wee Trista Ter | Spearfish, SD | 4 | 480 | 1996 |
| 10 | Wee Travis Ter | Spearfish, SD | 4 | 480 | 1996 |
| See all claim holders in South Dakota | |||||
Some of the claimants in this table may be in partnership with other individuals or companies with a claim to the same land.
Counties in South Dakota Ranked by Acres Claimed
| County | Number of Claims | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lawrence County | 405 | 9,754 | details | map |
| 2 | Custer County | 301 | 6,128 | details | map |
| 3 | Pennington County | 151 | 4,139 | details | map |
| 4 | Butte County | 45 | 1,140 | details | map |
| 5 | Fall River County | 28 | 695 | details | map |
| 6 | Meade County | 8 | 160 | details | map |
| 7 | Harding County | 1 | 20 | details | map |
Examples of Mines in South Dakota
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wharf Mine | Lawrence County, SD | Open | Gold | Gold Corp. |
| Golden Reward Mine | Lawrence County, SD | Closed | Gold | Wharf Resourced Ltd./Dakota Mining Corp |
| Homestake Gold Mine | Lawrence County, SD | Closed | Gold | Barrick Gold Corporation |
| Gilt Edge (brohm Mine) | Lawrence County, SD | Closed | Gold | Dakota Mining Company |
Source: EWG analysis.