(Homestake Production Room and liquid storage tanks)
by Duke Doering
World War II had a great influence on the community of Lead, South Dakota. The local National Guard unit, Company E, 109th Engineer Battalion was mobilized for active duty on February 10, 1941. The 107 man unit was sent to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana for training, then off to war with the axis forces in North Africa in 1943, and on to fight the Germans in Italy until the war ended in 1945.
The Homestake Mining Company was the major employer in the community, and many of the Guardsmen had been employees of the mine.
In October 1942 the War Production Board issued Limitation Order L-208 (W.P.B. Order L-208), effectively closing Homestake, America’s largest gold mine, from mining gold. The government’s reason for shutting down all gold mines was to focus on mining of strategic metals and minerals such as lead, zinc, copper and tungsten, items that were needed for the war effort. With 20% of its employees off to World War II and the company no longer able to produce gold, the company entered new territory to support the war effort.
The machine shops and foundry were converted into war production jobs making parts for landing craft, tank towing eye bolts, rope sockets, airplane parts, and steel netting. Machines were needed for the manufacture of camouflage netting and Homestake produced several of these machines. Most of the time during World War II the plant was open 24 hours a day, with the employees working on three shifts. At Spearfish the Homestake sawmill continued to operate at full capacity, the lumber was shipped to army bases and other military construction facilities.
On July 2, 1945, gold mining and milling operations resumed as a result of the rescinding of W.P.B. Order L-208. The South Dakota National Guard started up again in Lead with Company A, 109th Engineer Battalion receiving Federal Recognition in 1947. As happened before WW II, most members of the local unit also worked for the Homestake Mining Company.
In September of 2000 a Homestake Mining Company spokesman announced that the mine would close. In January of 2002, the Homestake Gold Mine finally shut down after more than 125 years of continuous operation.
