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AHistory
History · Lead

Lead dates to 1876, and 64% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #1 of 35 in South Dakota. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 405 buildings. Below: 18 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1880.

1876founded
2on the National Register
64%homes built before 1940
18old photos & papers
6famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lead’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lead began

When was Lead founded?

1876

Lead dates its founding to 1876 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 1,487 in 18802020 census: 2,982150 years

How historic is Lead?

A

More historic than 91% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1877.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lead’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lead is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #1 of 35 in South Dakota. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lead’s overall grade.
Founding era1876, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194064.2% of homes (±9.7) · typical SD town 10.4% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register2 listings, 405 historic buildings, 1,347 per 10,000 residents · typical SD town 37.3 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 91%
NewerOlder
South Dakota towns of 2,500+ (35)#1 of 35

South Dakota towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical South Dakota town has 37.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Lead’s 1,347 sits above most of its state (99% of South Dakota towns have fewer) while its 405 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.7 points). Two sources give 1876.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Lead’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Lead Historic District (Boundary Increase II) takes in 405 historic buildings.Mapped building by building7 fire insurance maps, 1885 to 1915, drew every building in Lead.A town in old photos18 old photos, postcards and papers, 1889–1968.On the map since 19004 editions of the USGS map, 1900 to 1971. Watch Lead change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 405 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
405
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Old Finnish Lutheran Church
Old Finnish Lutheran ChurchLead Historic District (Boundary Increase II), built 1876
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Queen Anne1
Renaissance Revival1
Gothic Revival1
Neo-Classical1
Old Finnish Lutheran ChurchBuilding
Lead Historic District (Boundary Increase II)Greek Revival · Built 1876

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Every building

Lead, building by building, 1885–1915

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Lead fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Lead, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1960s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1900s17 items
Lead City Mines and Mills. The Great Homestake Mines and Mills1889Lead City Mines and Mills. The Great Homestake Mines …Black Hills views-View of the famous Homestake Mines and the big mining town, Lead City, South Dakota1891Black Hills views-View of the famous Homestake Mines …Black Hills views--View of the famous Homestake Mines and the big mining town1891Black Hills views--View of the famous Homestake Mines…Lead City, South Dakota1901Lead City, South DakotaLead City, South Dakota1901Lead City, South DakotaPanoramic view of1901Panoramic view ofPanoramic view of1901Panoramic view ofLead City, South Dakota1901Lead City, South DakotaPanoramic view of Lead1901Panoramic view of LeadPanoramic view of Lead1901Panoramic view of LeadThe Three Tracks, Lead, South Dakota - postcard1907–1915The Three Tracks, Lead, South Dakota - postcardPostcardA tier of railroads1907A tier of railroadsMaking hay while the sun shines1908Making hay while the sun shinesHomestake gold mine1908Homestake gold mineLead SD 1909c. 1909Lead SD 1909Lead, So. Dak1909Lead, So. DakNome Stake Works1909Nome Stake Works
1910s–1950snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1960s1 item
Interior view of attic. View to east. - Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad Roundhouse, Terraville Avenue and Sunnyhil…1968Interior view of attic. View to east. - Black Hills a…
1970s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story

How Lead came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lead.

Read it all →

The city was officially founded on July 10, 1876, after the discovery of gold. The city was named for the leads or lodes of the deposits of valuable ores. It is the site of the Homestake Mine, the largest, deepest (8,240 feet [2,510 m]) and most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere before closing in January 2002. By 1910, Lead had a population of 8,382, making it the second-largest town in South Dakota.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lead, 1876 to 1968

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1876
    FoundingLead is established
  3. 1876BuiltLead Historic District (Boundary Increase II) is built
  4. 1877Post officeThe Lead City post office opens
  5. 1889In the archiveLead City Mines and Mills. The Great Homestake Mines and Mills
  6. 1890Born hereFred Gushurst is born here
  7. 1890Post officeThe Lead City post office closes
  8. 1890Post officeThe Lead post office opens
  9. 1891In the archiveBlack Hills views-View of the famous Homestake Mines and the big mining town, Lead City, …
  10. 1892Born hereJohn Miljan is born here
  11. 20th century
  12. 1900On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1901In the archiveLead City, South Dakota
  14. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 8,392
  15. 1918Born hereLen Rice is born here
  16. 1927Born hereJames B. Dunn is born here
  17. 1968In the archiveInterior view of attic. View to east. - Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad Roundhouse, …
On the map

Lead on the map, 1900 to 1971

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lead. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lead on the 1900 USGS mapLead on the 1915 USGS mapLead on the 1961 USGS mapLead on the 1971 USGS map1900Spearfish sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lead.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Lead City Mines and Mills. The Great Homestake Mines and Mills
Retake this viewLead City Mines and Mills. The Great Homestake Mines and Mills, 1889

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lead’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lead, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 8,392

Peaked at 8,392 in 1910; 2,982 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lead’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

6 famous people were born in Lead

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
John MiljanAmerican actor · b. 1892
James B. DunnAmerican politician · b. 1927
L
Len RiceAmerican baseball player · b. 1918
F
Fred GushurstAmerican football player · b. 1890
G
Grace M. SparkesAmerican booster · b. 1893
L
Leo MonahanArtist · b. 1933
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Lead’s post office has been open since 1890. Another post office, Lead City, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lead City
1877–1890
Lead
1890–today
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Durango MinemineHarrison MinemineSlavonian MinemineSummitlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lead
South LeadWest Lead

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Lead’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewLead City Mines and Mills. The Great Ho…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Deadwood2 historic placesA

Questions about Lead’s history

What year was Lead founded?

In 1876, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lead’s post office opened in 1877, and the census of 1880 counted 1,487 people here.

How does Lead rank for history?

Lead is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #1 of 35 in South Dakota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Lead?

Two places: the Old Finnish Lutheran Church (listed 1985) and the Lead Historic District (Boundary Increase II) (2021).

How old are the homes in Lead?

64% of Lead’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.7 points), against a typical 10% for a South Dakota town; the median home was built in 1938.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (10), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.