The Story
Spokane was founded in 1890 as a mining camp targeting gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, and mica. Unlike most Black Hills camps, which boomed and busted within a few years of the 1870s rush, Spokane's biggest year came much later: in 1927 its mine reportedly generated $144,742 in profits, reinvested in a school and new miners. The operation couldn't sustain itself and the mine closed around 1940. On public Forest Service land, Spokane is unusually intact, with a barn, schoolhouse, water tower, miners' cabins, a mill, and a headframe still standing rather than just foundations.
Surprising Facts
→ Its most profitable year, 1927, came nearly 40 years after its founding — unusually late for the region.
→ Surviving structures include a one-room schoolhouse, water tower, mill, hoist house, and headframe.
→ The town built a dedicated cabin to house the local schoolteacher's family.