Published: June 8, 2020 |

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Black Hills Mining Museum Dave Reddick, Jerry Pontius, and Mike Stahl work on mounting the new sign for the facility.
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Volunteers and employees at the Black Hills Mining Museum in Lead have been hard at work, making improvements to the facility and getting ready to re-open this summer.

Over the last few months, the volunteers and employees have been hard at work making improvements that will enhance the way the museum tells the story of Lead and mining, Black Hills Mining Museum board member Mike Stahl said. The most noticeable changes are the new ADA accessible, unisex restrooms, and the new LED lighting that has been installed throughout the museum. Other changes have included a deep cleaning of display cases, and more professional plaques placed near artifacts, to explain the history in a uniform and professional manner.

“The LED lights are all strung together, and this is an incredible change,” Stahl said. “The LED lights use so much less power. We just got rid of all the old fluorescent lights from when this was here two weeks ago. It’s really amazing, compared to what we used to have. Even the staff says ‘I didn’t now we had all of this stuff (exhibits) here because the lighting is now improved.”

Other changes include a newly designed logo and sign that emphasizes mining history, as well as new signs throughout the facility.

“We had a lot of paper signs and some hand-written stuff,” Stahl said. “There was no consistency.”

Overall, Stahl said the improvements cost the mining museum about $1,200 in donated funds. Additionally, he said the museum has taken advantage of the federal Paycheck Protection Program to keep its five employees on the payroll, and to pay necessary expenses such as utilities and insurance.

Overall, Stahl said the Black Hills Mining Museum board and employees are looking forward to showcasing their improvements when the facility opens. While they have not yet decided on an official opening date, they are considering the Fourth of July weekend as a possibility. But before that happens, he said they will meet with employees to get input about their comfort levels with reopening, and the best ways to do it safely.

“We are very concerned about keeping our employees safe and keeping the public safe,” he said. “The (tourists) are going to be here and we want them to come here, but we want them to view us as being a safe place to come to. It’s not the old Wild West museum where you come in and do what you want.”

Source: Black Hills Pioneer

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