Castle Creek was named by General Custer when he and his troops traveled through it’s headwaters in 1874. Gold was discovered in this valley to the west in 1875. A mining camp soon developed into the town named Castleton with a population of about 250 folks. There was a hotel, grocery store, saloons, and even a jewelry store. The gold carrying ore lay 25 feet deep. No profitable way was found to remove the water and tailings so the miners drifted to richer digs.
With a population of 200, as early as 1876, Castleton miners were digging a rock flume for working the placer gold deposits of Castle Creek. They farmed and ranched to support themselves. By 1880, most of the 40 or 50 cabins were abandonded, due to the fact that the flume did not have enough fall to carry away the tailings. It became a railroad construction center in the late 1880’s. It was supported by the men digging the two tunnels or laying the track for the Burlington line north to Deadwood. Abandoned again in 1890, it was homesteaded by Denny O’Brien. The Evans family of Denver, worked a large dredge up and down the creek from 1911 to 1914. It was eventually abandoned because the irregular bedrock made it impossible to get to the best pockets of gold.
Degrees Minutes Seconds:
Latitude: N44 03 46
Longitude: W103 39 20
Decimal Degrees:
Latitude: N 44.062832
Longitude: W -103.655657
GPS:
Latitude: N 44 03.770
Longitude: W 103 39.339
UTM:
13N 607668 4879730
Trailhead:
Rochford Road Trailhead