Town of Keystone, SD

After our day of touring on Monday, we visited around Keystone in the late afternoon.

Above the town was this impressive structure - one of the buildings had a URL on the side, whatisthis4.com, so I looked it up: https://www.keystoneproject.org/home/what-is-this-for/  It is The Keystone Project...

 A quote from their website:

This complex is the headquarters for The Keystone Project, a global network of churches and leaders committed to the fulfillment of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. This global network is the result of a training and coaching partnership between international Christian leaders and The Keystone Project, which is designed to encourage and facilitate the launching of disciple-making movements around the world. We have trained leaders from more than 100 countries and have many movements of multiplying disciples on the continents of Asia, Africa, South America, and North America.

Neat! John and Aleda told us that much of the land, including the two hotels where they are working, and the campground where we were staying, were owned by the man who donated the property where the ministry is now located - more from their website:

In December 2009, I was notified of an enormously generous donation made to The Keystone Project by the couple who had been the prime benefactors of our training ministry in Keystone, SD. In sacrificial obedience to the Lord, this couple had begun construction of a 30,000-square foot building, which they envisioned as a conference and training center, with a special focus on prayer and strategic equipping of church leaders from around the world. It was this property, along with the Rushmore Express Inn & Family Suites (320 Cemetery Road, Keystone, SD), which had been donated. I must confess that our initial reaction to the donation was to turn it down. We were in our infancy as an organization at that time, with two full-time staff who were traveling the world to train leaders. We did not have the time, the staff, the money, or the means to possess and properly utilize such a structure, especially as it was not yet completed.

However, after much prayer and discussion, the board of directors decided to receive the properties. Since then, we have seen the Lord’s hand of blessing on us in an exciting way. He has provided for every financial need, connected us with many new people and ministries, and confirmed His plans for the properties with visions, dreams, prophetic words from the Scriptures, and an ever-increasing faith in Him to do above and beyond anything we can conceive. Leaders from the nations come to receive dynamic, transformational training to reach unreached people groups through the multiplication of fully committed disciples of Jesus Christ, and we are seeing multitudes coming to the faith.

We delight in the impossible, knowing it will unleash the supernatural and exalt the Name which is above every name, the Name of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Richard Greene
President of The Keystone Project

For more information - check out their website - link in the caption below the first picture above.

John also told us about a memorial to those who lost their lives during the flooding of the creek that goes through town in 1972. John and Aleda experienced a time when the creek rose enough that the water was coming over the road that they usually use to get to the hotels where they are working.

They also told us about Jane's Pizza shop and the great ice cream cones that they serve - a great price performer - a single scoop in a waffle cone was $3, and it was a HUGE single scoop! Yum!

As we were walking back to the bus, we passed the chainsaw carving guy... he has some very interesting things!

On both of these items, there was a sign that you could climb on them and take a picture, and they just requested a donation - I guess at the store.

Another story from Keystone: John pointed out that the mine at the top of the hill was called the Holy Terror mine. The story behind it is pretty funny: https://www.visitkeystonesd.com/news/article/how-the-holy-terror-got-its-name

With a name like Holy Terror, you picture the old Keystone mine to be a dark, scary place. It was, but that's not how it got its name.

It was named for a man's wife.

The original mining claim was discovered by William B. Franklin and his adopted daughter, Cora, in 1894. It was a rich ledge of gold-bearing quartz, and it grew to become one of the richest gold mines in the country.

When it came time to name the new mine, friends suggested to Franklin that he name it after his wife, a common practice at the time. Franklin took their advice, sort of. He was a regular at the many saloons in Keystone, and often his wife, Jenny, had to drag him home by the arm. When she retrieved him from the bar, he would wink at a friend and say, "Ain't she a holy terror?"

And that's what he named the mine.

Keystone was a great location from which to visit the area. It was just 2 miles from Mount Rushmore which allowed us to do the evening illumination program without having to make a long drive back, and we could drive to the other things we wanted to see with ease. We're glad our friends were working there this summer!