Former Homestake Mine hydro plant in Spearfish Canyon could become an interpretive center

A sign identifies the Homestake Mining Co. Hydro Electric Plant No.2, built in 1917, in Spearfish Canyon. (Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office)

The South Dakota House of Representatives sent a bill to the Senate by a vote of 60-9 on Tuesday that would transfer an old hydroelectric plant in Spearfish Canyon to a foundation for potential conversion to an interpretive center.

The bill would transfer ownership of the Homestake Mine Hydro Electric Plant No. 2 building from the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks to the Spearfish Canyon Foundation at no cost. The building is near the entrance to the popular Devil’s Bathtub hiking trail. 

Majority Leader Scott Odenbach, R-Spearfish, called the building a well-preserved “time capsule” that would turn into a place where visitors can learn about the history of mining in Lawrence County.

“It’s like they greased everything in 1916 and they just walked away,” Odenbach told fellow representatives in the House. 

Of the bill’s “no” votes, two came from Rep. Phil Jensen, R-Rapid City, and Rep. Tina Mulally, R-Rapid City. The two argued the state was giving away taxpayer assets without compensation.

Odenbach said the building and the land it sits on are of little value, and they cost the state money to maintain. 

Scott Simpson, deputy secretary for the Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, told the House Agriculture and Natural Resource Committee last week that the property became the department’s as part of a larger 2014 acquisition from Homestake Mining Co., which also included Roughlock Falls and Spearfish Falls. The hydro plant formerly generated electricity for the Homestake Mine in Lead. The mine has been closed since 2001.

Simpson said the hydro plant site does not fit the department’s core mission of managing natural resources and recreation, and the foundation is better positioned to preserve and interpret the building’s Homestake-era history.

Simpson said the foundation would assume ownership and liability under the transfer, while a reversion clause would apply if the property is not used for a public purpose. The proposed transfer is 3.5 acres. 

Foundation supporters informed the committee that the building remains largely intact on the inside, but requires repairs, including roof work, to prevent further deterioration. Asked whether the foundation would return to the Legislature seeking state funding for renovations, foundation member Bob Ewing said no, explaining the group could pursue grants and local support.