History of Gold Mining in South Dakota Film (1940)

South Dakota Saga is a Jam Handy promotional video shows and explains all the processes of the Homestake Gold Mining Company, based out of the Black Hills of South Dakota. A map of the state uses colored lights to point out where the different Black Hills gold mines and other gold mines of South Carolina are, along with the route of General Custer on his 1874 campaign through the state. The film paints an amusingly sunny picture of work conditions and the job satisfaction of the gold miners, "Happiness abounds and why not? They are happy, happy in the service of a company of which they are a part. Secure in the knowledge of constant stable employment.” Gold mining methods are examined in detail: black gold hills panning, dredging, using gold mining supplies and gold mining equipment. How to refine gold ore from concentrates also is explored. Gold ore processing, by using gold mining tools, is a major part of this gold mining video. South Dakota Saga is a shiny nugget of gold mining history that not only explains mining techniques but also reveals the life of a gold miner in the 1940s.