Gold Rush Gravel Grinder The Black Hills Premiere Gravel Road Race June 8, 2013
The Black Hills gold rush is probably the most important event in South Dakota history. In two short decades the population ballooned from 11, 766 to 328,808.
It all started in 1874 when an expedition led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer discovered gold in the Black Hills. By 1876, gold fever spread throughout the Hills. Deadwood, one of the West's most famous mining camps, drew in characters like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Potato Creek Johnny
These stony faced characters like Potato Creek Johhny, Ezra Kind, and many others, helped to establish not just mining in the hills, but more importantly, the gravel and dirt roads throughout! This myriad of roads, deep within the Black Hills, is the legacy that we, the cycling generation, appreciate more than they will ever know! Because of them we can explore the hills, on our bikes, and take in their beauty, like no other way possible. Praise to the miners for being trail builders in their own way! We will ride these roads in memory of the great miners! Welcome all cyclists, to the Black Hills Premiere Gravel Road Race, the “Gold Rush Gravel Grinder”.
