The Price of Gold book signing planned for Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center

For 125 years, the Homestake Gold Mine existed thanks to the labor and toil of generations of individuals who made it all possible. At its height, Homestake employed more than two thousand people, working both day and night shifts, in what were sometimes dangerous jobs.

In one more generation, no one left will remember working in the Homestake Mine. 

But their stories will not go untold. Erin Woodward and Nick Hubbard have collaborated on a new coffee table book, The Price of Gold: Stories from the Homestake Gold Mine, a collection of photography of and first-hand accounts from individuals who once worked in the Homestake mine. 

“The book is a rare window into an underground world’ and tells of lives lived above and below the city of Lead,” Woodward wrote.  She and Hubbard were both working at Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) – Woodward as a science writer and Hubbard as a photographer – when the idea for this book evolved. 

The stories brought to life in the pages of this new book include stunning portraits of former miners, electricians, hoist operators, receptionists, and chemists, alongside the perspective of those who opposed mining operations on land they consider sacred. The stories from the depths of the beloved Black Hills include humorous pranks, harried rescue operations, and the loss of loved ones to mining accidents.

“We were at SURF meeting all these incredible people who had worked at the facility for decades. These people made it possible for the lab to reopen safely because they had the institutional knowledge of the equipment and landscape underground,” Woodward said. “We realized that many of them were nearing retirement age and that it was just a few years before that part of the history was no longer represented in-person at SURF. We knew we needed to preserve these stories in a book.”

The stories include those like Martin Brosnahan, who worked on the 4850 Level and spoke about a short stint in the deeper sections of the mine where the rock walls could reach triple-digit temperatures. Brosnahan remembers having strict directions from his boss.  

 “You get back there, get off,” he said to me, “Work 15 minutes, and then get out!” “The level was deep, and because of the hot water coming out into the drift, it was so hot. You’d go back there and put your hand on the rock—ouch! It was that hot. Well, we worked about 45 minutes and come out, and, boy, was I sick. Terrible!”

Working deep underground had serious challenges, but it didn’t mean the miners were always serious—Jim Whitlock recalls, that they often found ways to make work fun. 

“Everybody at Homestake had a nickname,” Whitlock said. “That went clear back to the 1800s. Some people said it was because they didn't want to get to know each other, because the work was too dangerous. Other people said it was because they couldn't remember so many names. One of the motormen was “Mile-Away,” and when his boy came to work there, he was “Half-Mile-Away.” We had a friend come up from Colorado, and he was just “Colorado.” Nobody knew his real name.”

Mining was an industry predominantly made up of men. Pioneers like Carson Whitlock helped to forge a path for women to enter the field. The Price of Gold, captures this history.  

“In 1977, I started at Homestake in the metallurgical department. I was the first woman “boss,” or salaried non-clerical position,” Carson Whitlock said. “There were other women working in salaried positions at the time, but not supervisory. We had these tall windows in the lab, and a guy who worked in the lab was up there washing them. And this other guy comes in here, and he just got furious. He says, ‘What is he doing up there?’ And I said, ‘Well, he’s washing windows.’ And he says, ‘Well, that’s not his job. That’s women’s work. You should be up there.’ That was pretty typical. Not for everybody, but they weren’t used to women being in charge of anything.”

By the late 1990’s Homestake began to slow operations as the price of gold dropped. By the early 2000’s, the company announced its closure. Those like Gary Lillehaug recall the shock waves this loss sent through the community.

“When they had the big layoff—it was traumatic for everybody in this area,” Lillehaug said. “Worst for Lead and Deadwood, but Spearfish got hurt, too. I was one of the few that was still working after ’98. It was not a good time.”

Mining has a complicated history in the Black Hills. For many indigenous people, mining activity was a desecration of sacred land. Jace DeCory, a professor at Black Hills State University, was one of them. She and her family traveled to the open cut for years during Homestake’s operation. Decory’s story and photo were captured by Woodward and Hubbard before she passed away in 2022.

“But we wanted to put tobacco there and pray. We didn’t pray against the people who worked in the mine or the company. We didn’t want to harm,” DeCory said. “But we would pray that—and I’m smiling now—someday it will close, and she [Mother Earth] can get a rest. And it came to be in my lifetime.”

Following the closure of Homestake, visionary political, scientific, and business leaders collaborated over many years to create all that SURF has become today. The Price of Gold tells the story of the labor and experiences of some of those who made the former gold mine profitable, often at great personal cost. The value their efforts are arguably more than the 41-million ounces of gold extracted from the mine; they also laid the foundation for world class research at America’s Underground Lab. 

You can read more tales like these in the book The Price of Gold: Stories from the Homestake Gold Mine and meet the creators, Erin Woodward and Nick Hubbard, during a book signing event planned from 5-7 p.m. at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead on the evening of May 15, 2025. 

Find more event information here. 

Learn more about The Price of Gold: Stories from the Homestake Gold Mine on their website.