The large, impressive building in front of you serves as a reminder of the reason that Deadwood was born - gold.

Known to the locals as the Slime Plant, this building was part of the Homestake Mining Co.'s refining operation.

It extracted gold from "slime" - a muddy slurry of gold-bearing ore.

The Homestake Mine operated for more than 126 years until its closing in 2002. During that time, the mine produced tons of pure gold.