Lead, South Dakota
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1894 and the latest in 1961. It stands in Lead City. It lies in ZIP code area 57754. It stands on Whitetail Creek. The Survey maps it on the Lead quadrangle. 2,982 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,213 feet above sea level.
On record in Lead
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 4 records
Homestake Theaterlisted 2021
Old Finnish Lutheran Churchlisted 1985- Hardy Guard Stationlisted 2011
- Harvey, Jerome and Jonetta Homestead Cabinlisted 2008
Population over time
2 figuresLead fell from 3,124 to 2,982 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,124 | |
| 2020 | 2,982 | -142 (-5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1894 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1900 USGS Spearfish quadrangle1:62500
- 1901 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1915 USGS Spearfish quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1916 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000
- 1961 USGS Lead quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
150 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 150 fires within 5 miles of Lead between 1992 and 2020, burning about 12,358 acres in total. 40 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 40 |
| Debris and open burning | 27 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 25 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 21 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 14 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 12 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Fireworks | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2000 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WAR EAGLE 2 |
| 8 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 7 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Montana/Dakotas State Office | SHEEPTAIL GULCH |
| 7 September 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | PARTY |
| 6 September 1997 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | PARTY |
| 5 September 1995 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | CHEYENNE |
| 5 September 1995 | Natural | 2.0 acres | Black Hills National Forest | ANCHOR HILL |
| 30 September 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | SKATEBOARD |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 280 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 280 workings within 5 miles of Lead: 187 past producers, 41 producers, 29 unknowns, 11 occurrences. 47 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Silver, Gold, Silver, Tungsten. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Eldridge Gold Mine Inc. | Lead, Silver, Zinc | Past Producer | 1878, 1937 | |
| Belle Eldridge Gold Mines | Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper | Past Producer | 1890 | |
| Custer Peak Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Durango Mine | Tungsten, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | Gold, Silver, Wolframite | |
| Golden Reward Mine | Gold, Silver, Tellurium | Past Producer | Replacement | |
| Hardin Properties | Gold, Iron, Sulfur | Occurrence | ||
| Hidden Fortune Mine | Tungsten, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | Replacement | |
| Hoffman Iron Deposit Mine | Iron, Manganese | Past Producer | 1948 | |
| Homestake Filtration Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Iron Pit | Sodium | Producer |
Storms near this place
56 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Lead in 56 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 45 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 1 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2010 | Hail | Lead | $300,000 | Golf ball sized hail damaged automobiles and buildings in Lead. |
| July 2019 | Flash Flood | Lead | $297,000 | Flash flooding occurred along Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon near the Boulder Canyon Golf Club. A landslide occurred on Galena Road and culverts were blocked by water and debris. Ruby Flats Road and Englewood Road were flooded, as well as a portion of Two Bit Road and Yellow Creek Road. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Lead | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Lead | $5,000 | Lightning struck a cable that supplies power to one of the mine shafts at the Homestake Mining Co. This caused problems with the shaft elevator, the compressor and milling operations. There were people at the bottom of the mine who were not able to exit through the shaft. Instead they took mining tractors through the mining tunnels to another shaft and exited there. |
| September 2013 | Hail | Lead | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lead | $1,000 | A shed was blown over and damaged. |
| May 1993 | Hail | Lead | $500 | no account filed |
| May 2025 | Hail | Lead | - | Public reported quarter size hail. |
| July 2019 | Flood | Lead | - | Flooding continued across the area from heavy rainfall. Runoff from additional rainfall during the afternoon and evening of July 5 kept creek levels high into the morning hours on July 6. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Lead | - | Hail to the size of baseballs caused significant property damage in Lead. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Lead | - | Wind gusts to 50 mph also accompanied the storm. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Lead | - | A few automobiles were damaged by large hailstones. |
| June 1999 | Hail | Lead | - | 15,000 flowering plants were destroyed in downtown Lead. A restaurant had one corner of its roof damaged. |
| July 1997 | Hail | Lead | - | Golfball size hail was reported at Deer Mountain. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| April 2022 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 2022 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2013 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2005 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Flash Flood | Lead | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Flash Flood | Lead | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Lead | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terraville | 0.7 miles | 17 | |
| Cartesville (historical) | 1.0 miles | 17 | |
| Central City | 1.0 miles | 17 | |
| Blacktail | 1.3 miles | 17 | |
| Gayville | 1.3 miles | 17 | |
| Carterville (historical) | 1.4 miles | 20 | |
| Pluma | 1.5 miles | 20 | |
| Kirk | 1.6 miles | 17 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Lead | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q584982 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1265276. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







