Our last motorcycle ride in the Sturgis area was to Spearfish Canyon. We rode through the town of Lead (pronounced Leed) and found that this little town was home of the Homestake Gold Mine, one of the first enterprises of the Gold Rush of 1876. The mine produced 40 million ounces of gold during its lifetime, valuing over a billion dollars. The Homestake Gold Mine, America’s longest continuously operated gold mine, closed in 2002 as the oldest, largest and deepest mine in the western hemisphere, stretching over 8,000 feet below the town of Lead.
The original business district was constructed of wood and was destroyed by fire in March, 1900. The new city center was constructed of brick and mortar but soon met its fate for ground subsidence caused by early mining activities gradually making unsafe. Entire blocks were razed during the 1920s and 1930s and the business district was relocated to the west in its present location.
Heading out to Spearfish, a motorcyclist cut his vacation short when he lost control on a curve, hit the guardrail & then a car. It caused quite a traffic jam.
Then we were off to Bridal Veil Falls. We didn’t understand why they didn’t get married at these falls until we saw it. It really was much prettier and more private at Spearfish Falls.
There was a younger crowd at Bridal Veil Falls, as seen below.
What a beautiful ride and a beautiful day.
The original business district was constructed of wood and was destroyed by fire in March, 1900. The new city center was constructed of brick and mortar but soon met its fate for ground subsidence caused by early mining activities gradually making unsafe. Entire blocks were razed during the 1920s and 1930s and the business district was relocated to the west in its present location.
Heading out to Spearfish, a motorcyclist cut his vacation short when he lost control on a curve, hit the guardrail & then a car. It caused quite a traffic jam.
As we waited, we watched a helicopter circle, wondering where in the world was he going to land….. It turned out that they took him by ambulance and I don’t know whether they had to meet the helicopter in another area or not. But the car was drivable, smashed on the front driver side. It was an older guy driving and I sure felt sorry for him. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Since only about 10% of the riders were wearing helmets, chances are he was not wearing a helmet…..
I can now understand why they call it the Black Hills. There is a lot of black rock in the hills. We also discovered that Black Hills gold is not mined in the Black Hills. We thought it was. It’s not the “mining” of the gold, it’s the process that was developed to make the jewelry. There are now a few companies that make Black Hills gold jewelry and we toured one of the factories, but were not allowed to take pictures. We were surprised to see that each leaf is individually placed on the piece by a solder! It was amazing the workmanship that goes into this jewelry which makes it so unique. No free samples, and you end the tour in the jewelry store, just like Disney where you end each ride in the gift shop.
There were a lot of motorcyclists in the canyon.
I can now understand why they call it the Black Hills. There is a lot of black rock in the hills. We also discovered that Black Hills gold is not mined in the Black Hills. We thought it was. It’s not the “mining” of the gold, it’s the process that was developed to make the jewelry. There are now a few companies that make Black Hills gold jewelry and we toured one of the factories, but were not allowed to take pictures. We were surprised to see that each leaf is individually placed on the piece by a solder! It was amazing the workmanship that goes into this jewelry which makes it so unique. No free samples, and you end the tour in the jewelry store, just like Disney where you end each ride in the gift shop.
There were a lot of motorcyclists in the canyon.
Our first stop in Spearfish Canyon was Spearfish Falls where a “Harley wedding” was about to take place. The bride was putting on her veil, 
the minister was getting the witnesses in order and the groom was calmly waiting. 
The bridal party had their special T-Shirts on.
The bride was overwhelmed with “finally” having her Harley wedding, as she put it. After he ceremony, we captured a much calmer bride and groom. Hopefully, they’ll get a chance to see these photos.
It’s not often that you see a “Harley Wedding.” How lucky were we?!!
They sure picked a beautiful place.
The bridal party had their special T-Shirts on.
The bride was overwhelmed with “finally” having her Harley wedding, as she put it. After he ceremony, we captured a much calmer bride and groom. Hopefully, they’ll get a chance to see these photos.
It’s not often that you see a “Harley Wedding.” How lucky were we?!!
They sure picked a beautiful place.
Then we were off to Bridal Veil Falls. We didn’t understand why they didn’t get married at these falls until we saw it. It really was much prettier and more private at Spearfish Falls.
There was a younger crowd at Bridal Veil Falls, as seen below.
What a beautiful ride and a beautiful day.
Awesome photos! Actually, The Black Hills are referred to as such because the forests are at higher elevations and appear black when approaching from the eastern plains. By law, for any jewelry to be called Black Hills Gold jewelry, it must be made in the Black Hills of South Dakota. But you are correct, even though Black Hills Gold jewelry got it's start back in the late 1800's with the gold rush there, the gold for Black Hills Gold jewelry does not have to be mined there. You likely toured Landstroms factory in Rapid City. Landstroms is the original, the oldest manufacturer of Black Hills Gold jewelry - and the BEST! For more information, visit the following informative blog: http://blackhillsgoldjewelry.blogspot.com
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