Throughout 2025, we’ll showcase the Homestake Mining Company, a cornerstone of our local heritage. This month’s featured photo is the I.C. Stump Locomotive, a twin to the J.B Haggin, the first steam-powered, wood-burning locomotive in the Black Hills. The engineer in the photo is Dick Pancoast, and the brakeman is Fred Symons.
The I.C. Locomotive was built in 1889 and shipped to the Black Hills on a Northwestern Transfer Wagon. It was named after an early Homestake Mining Company director, Irwin C. Stump, who was also business manager to Homestake’s notorious founder, George Hearst. When George died, he left the business to his wife, Phoebe, who eventually fired Stump for making financial decisions without her knowledge or approval.
Stump’s legacy did not leave as many records as some of his contemporaries, but it appears he worked closely with George Hearst. A letter in the Adams Museum Collection from Stump to aspiring judge T.J. Grier tells Grier that George Hearst would like Grier to do all he can to win the election for judge as long as it is not against their interests. The letter is even written in code.
Rail was an important mode of transportation at the time, not just for mining but for personal transportation. The Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad (BH&FP) was created by the Homestake Mining Company and initially ran from Lead to Calcite and Piedmont by way of Elk Creek.
After repeated washouts, an alternate route was built to Piedmont and Calcite by way of Nemo and Stagebarn Canyon. There was also a branch from the Nemo line connecting Este with a logging camp at Merritt. It totaled about 54 miles of track. It’s a lot easier to get in and out of Lead these days, but you can still take a ride on the historic 1880 Train in Hill City to get an idea of what those train rides were like.
Homestake Mining Company has come a long way from those early days, but our history will always be rooted in those plucky miners and millers who came to the Black Hills to seek their fortune. In fact, our casino gives you a chance to strike your own First Gold.
Want to try your luck? Book a room with us. We can’t wait to see you there.
Stay tuned for more stories and events as we celebrate the legacy of the Homestake Mining Company this year – a symbol of hard work, determination, and innovation that shaped Deadwood and the Black Hills region.