Where: South Dakota · approx. 43.77, -103.6 (vicinity only)
Why this spot: 1890s+ Sanborn-mapped town on French Creek, site of the 1874 Custer Expedition gold discovery and the first Black Hills rush
What turns up: First-rush placer and townsite debris along French Creek: dug bottles, clay pipes, cut nails, tin, and privy-pit contents behind the wide-street business row the 1891 sheet lays out.
Access: Gray area.
French Creek's bed below the ordinary high-water mark is state public trust where artifact removal is restricted; the townsite and creek claims are private or patented ground needing permission, and the surrounding Black Hills National Forest is federal land where disturbing sites over 100 years old requires a permit.
Open in Mudlark Map →
Satellite view, historic-map overlays, tide/flow context and field notes are in the app. Exact research detail is part of Pro.
Pins are approximate by design. This page is historical research, not permission to dig. Check ownership and local law first.