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Dakota Pathways

Mining Booms and Busts

Take an exciting journey through more than a thousand years of South Dakota history with this Emmy Award-winning twenty-episode series. From our state’s ancient beginnings through contemporary times, Dakota Pathways: A History brings the stories of South Dakota’s people and places to life.


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Mining Booms and Busts The history of South Dakota can be traced over the last century and a half through the booms and busts of the mining industry in the region.

Gold was and still is mined in the Black Hills. Silver and other minerals have been mined all over the state. Coal, oil, and even uranium have been dug out of the ground in our state. These mining pursuits affected how the state expanded, prospered, and failed. In this episode we look at the boom times and the bust times of mining in our state.


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