Tinton was started as a gold mining town during the Black Hills gold rush in the late 1870's. The deposits of gold didn't last very long. By the early 1900's the mines were closed After the mines were closed, there was still a sawmill that operated in the area. The was also a school and general store. It is at Tinton that a man nicknamed Potato Gulch Johnny, found the largest gold nugget ever found in the Black Hills. Mining for tin has also taken place through the years here at Tinton.
It is currently closed to the public due to the mining of a rare metal called Tantalum. This is a metal used in nuclear weapons.
Most of the old houses are still standing along with some buildings. There is a store with a sign reading, "Black Hills Tin Company." There is a post office and a miners hall also.
Hill City was founded in 1876, along with the gold rush in the Black Hills. The gold didn't last long enough to keep the miners here. Better strikes were going on in the Black Hills that appeared to have better potential. But in the 1880's, there was a demand for tin, which the area had plenty in the mountains to be mined. This brought the town back from the dead. Hill City has many old building still here.