The Story
The camp was established in 1876 on Castle Creek, originally named "Sitting Bull," and renamed Mystic around 1885 when its post office opened. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy reached it in 1889, and C.D. Crouch's line (the "Crouch Line," formally the Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad) reached Mystic as its western terminus by 1906. In 1900 a $1 million experimental electro-cyanide mill was built to process 150 tons of ore a day — only to fail when the ore solidified inside its tanks. The Crouch Line closed in 1947; the old railbed is now the George S. Mickelson Trail, with Mystic as Trailhead #7. About 14 historic structures survive; it joined the National Register in 1986.
Surprising Facts
→ Originally named "Sitting Bull," the camp was renamed Mystic around 1885.
→ A $1 million experimental gold mill built in 1900 failed when its ore solidified inside the tanks.
→ The Black Hills' first electric placer gold dredge worked here around 1909-1911 — and was abandoned within a year.