Sunday, September 12, 2004 11:32 PM MDT
Tin mine owners seek addition to historic registry
By Jomay Steen, Journal Staff Writer
KEYSTONE — Otho Mine played a significant role in the settlement of the Black Hills, but the owners of the Keystone tin mine must wait a little longer for its approval as a historic site.
Three years ago, Dallas and Mary Dietrich of Rapid City, owners of Otho Mine, began the process of placing their tin mine on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places.
On Friday, Sept. 10, the 178-page nominating submission was approved by the South Dakota State Historical Society Board of Trustees, Jason Haug, the society's historic-preservation specialist, said.
"It will now be sent to the National Park Service for final approval and, ultimately, official listing on the National Register of Historic Places," Haug said.
Getting the 102-acre mining property designated as a historic site hasn't been easy, Dallas Dietrich said.
"It was harder than I thought it would be," he said.
The properties are distinguished by identifying historical and archeological characteristics deemed worthy of preservation.
"These nominations are owner driven," Haug said. "Very rarely will we pursue a public building."
Haug said there are several benefits to having a site listed.
For example, in South Dakota, registered sites have access to the Deadwood Fund grant program, which awards $100,000 for preservation efforts every year.
Tax incentives also help in preservation, he said.
"A federal program gives a 20 percent tax credit on approved restoration work on an approved property," Haug said.
A different program provides a tax moratorium program that freezes property taxes for a set number of years, and improvements cannot be assessed against them during that time, he said
As Dietrich struggled with the wording of the nomination, researching the project and establishing the significance of the mine within the community, he learned some interesting facts.
"The mining claim was filed in 1892 and is still intact," he said. "Several shafts are still open, and people can visit them."
The four buildings under consideration for historic designation are the bunkhouse, cook house, supervisor's house and office, all part of the operation that ran from 1892 to the 1930s.
"They're still standing," Dietrich said.
The Dietrichs have converted the mine into a summer camp for people with disabilities.
"It's been full of challenges. We want to be historically correct and meet handicapped- access requirements," Dietrich said.
He and a crew of volunteers have replaced crumbling foundations and wall joists, sealed the building with linseed oil and glazed windows.
"A 28-inch door had to be taken out to install an ADA-plus door," Dietrich said. "It broke my heart."
But his careful consideration of the Americans With Disabilities Act guidelines brought Dietrich a $5,000 Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Quality of Life Grant in August. The Otho Mine also received a $20,000 grant from the Deadwood Fund to help with renovations.
The owners discovered that Otho Mine was one of several tin mines scattered throughout the Black Hills, providing raw materials for the canning process in the food industry, as well as tools and machines.
It employed a steady number of miners to work in 16 of its shafts, establishing a work force and supporting the area community.
"They went for 30-some years," Dietrich said. "The tin ore was never depleted."
Yet, bad management, the Great Depression, the rise of aluminum and development of other products to replace tin made the venture obsolete, he said.
For two weeks during the 1930s, it was posted for sale at Pennington County Courthouse for $500, Dietrich said.
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