List of ghost towns in South Dakota


This is an incomplete list of ghost towns in South Dakota, United States of America.

Classification

Ghost towns can include sites in various states of disrepair and abandonment. Some sites no longer have any trace of civilization and have reverted to pasture land or empty fields. Other sites are unpopulated but still have standing buildings.

Barren site

A through B

Name County Dates Status Notes
Addie CampPennington1892-1917NeglectedAlso known as Kennedyville, Canadaville, or Addie Spur.
AlbanyLawrence
Allen's CampPennington
AllertonLawrence
AltaPennington1870s-?NeglectedAlso known as Altamine.
American CityLawrenceBarrenThe exact location is unknown due to flooding that has destroyed all traces of the town.
AnchorLawrenceThis town was in the Ragged Top mining district. Not to be confused with Anchor City.
Anchor CityLawrenceThis was an early mining camp close to Deadwood. Also called Anchor; not to be confused with Anchor.
Annie CreekLawrenceAlso called Stanley City or Reliance.
ArdmoreFall River1889-2004Abandoned
ArgonneMiner 1886-1970sBarren
ArgyleCusterBarren
ArpanButte
AstoriaLawrence1887-?Neglected
AthboyCorsonAbandoned
Atlantic CityCusterBarrenThe exact location of the town and its mine are a mystery.
BakervilleCusterBarren
BallButte
BalmoralLawrencec. 1897-1910sNeglectedPossibly an earlier name for Cyanide, which was in the same mining district.
BangorWalworthBarren
Bear ButteLawrenceNot to be confused with Bear Butte, the butte located to the southeast of the town site. It is also called Bare Butte.
Bear GulchLawrencec. 1870s-?Not to be confused with the Bear Gulch settlement in Pennington County.
Bear GulchPenningtonBarren Submerged under Pactola Lake. This was a stop along the Black Hills & Western Railroad. Not to be confused with the Lawrence County settlement by the same name. It is also called Elkhorn.
Bear RockCusterAn early placer mining camp. It housed the first post office in the Black Hills, which was only a cave where mail was delivered.
Beaver CityLawrence01/1878-?Barren
BernardsvilleLawrencec. 1877-?BarrenExact location unknown, but is somewhere one-half mile east of the Wyoming state line.
BesantLawrenceNeglectedAlso called Besant Flats or Besant Park.
Big BottomMeade1878-1887Neglected
BismuthCusterNeglected
Black FoxPennington
BlacktailLawrence
BloomingtonBrown?-1877BarrenWas destroyed by outlaws.
BluevalePennington?-c. 1900Barren
Bon HommeClayAbandoned
BoughtonLawrenceBarren
BoulderLawrence?-1880sBarrenAlso called Boulder Park.
BrashvilleLawrenceFebruary 2, 1881-June 1882The dates listed are the dates that the post office was in operation.
BrennanPenningtonAlso called Warbonnet and Siding Eleven.
Buena VistaFall RiverNeglected
Buena VisteLawrenceBarren
BugtownCuster?-1880sBarren
BurdockFall RiverNeglectedAlso called Argentine.

C through D

E through H

Name County Dates Status Notes
East Sioux FallsMinnehaha
ElizabethtownLawrenceLater incorporated into Deadwood.
ElmoreLawrenceAbandoned
EmmetUnion1871-?Neglected
EnglewoodLawrenceAlso called Ten Mile Ranch.
EttaPenningtonBarrenAlso called Etta Camp.
EurekaPenningtonNot to be confused with Eureka in McPherson County.
Evans PlaceLawrenceBarrenIts exact location is unknown.
EvertsWalworthBarren
Fair ViewPenningtonBarrenExisted around 1887.
FarmingdalePenningtonAbandoned
FiresteelDavison1875-?Barren
FlatironLawrence1890s-?NeglectedNot to be confused with the other Flatiron. It was a successful mining town from the 1890s until about the 1930s.
FlatironLawrencec. 1921-?BarrenNot to be confused with the Flatiron which was much bigger and existed long before this town.
FloraCuster1890sBarrenWas a tin mining town. Its exact location is unknown.
FloralPenningtonNeglectedAlso called Florence. Not to be confused with Florence, South Dakota located in Codington County; or the similarly-named ghost town Flora.
FolsomCusterWas a gold mining town.
Forest CitySubmerged under Lake Oahe.
Fountain CityLawrenceAlso called Mountain City. Was incorporated into Deadwood.
GayvilleLawrenceAlso called Troy, it was an early placer mining camp that had a significant population, but was later absorbed into Deadwood. Not to be confused with the Gayville in Yankton County.
GibralterMeade1877-?BarrenAlso spelled Gibraltar.
GlendalePennington1880s-?Also called Otho.
Golden CentreLawrence
Golden SummitPenningtonAlso called Summit. Not to be confused with Summit, also located in Pennington County.
Golden WestPenningtonc. 1900-c. 1920Barren
Gold HillLawrence
GopherCorson1910-?Barren
GothlandUnion
GrandviewPenningtonBarren
GreenwoodLawrence1885-1912BarrenAlso called Laflin. The last house was torn down in 1971.
GregoryLawrence1879-?BarrenAlso called Montana City. Not to be confused with the Gregory, South Dakota located in Gregory County; or the other Montana City in Lawrence County.
GriggsLawrenceBarren
Hagginsville
HammerRoberts?-1930sNeglected
HarneyPennington1876-1900AbandonedNot to be confused with the military encampment by the same name in Custer County.
HaywardPennington11/1876-?AbandonedAlso spelled Hayword.
HeppnerFall River
HillheadMarshall1915-1970sNeglectedAlso called Hilltop or Airmont.
HillsideButteNeglected
Hill SideUnion
HookerTurnerAbandoned
HooverButte
Hornblende CampPennington1899-1915BarrenAlso called Horneblende.
HuseboeCorsonNeglectedAlso called Lightcap.
HustletonPenningtonExisted around January 1877.

I through L

Name County Dates Status Notes -
IglooFall Riverc. 1942-after 1970AbandonedAlso known as the Black Hills Ordnance Depot, it was a residential community located near a munitions storage and maintenance facility.-
ImlayJackson1907-?Neglected-
IvanhoeCusterBarrenNot to be confused with Yamboya, which was also called Ivanhoe but was a separate community.-
Junction CityCusterc. 09/1879-c. 1881Neglected-
KiddvilleCusterbefore September 20, 1879-?Neglected-
LakeviewToddNeglectedOnly the school and church are still in use by the farming community, but the actual town no longer exists.-
Lancaster CityLawrenceBarren-
LauzonCusterNeglected-
LeBeauWalworthBarren It is submerged beneath Lake Oahe.-
LentzLawrence-
LexingtonLawrenceBarren-
LilyDay1883-2017DissolvedDissolved in March 2017 by the Day County court due to its population reaching zero.
LithiaFall RiverBarrenMost likely submerged beneath Angostura Lake.-
Lone CampLawrenceBarrenWas an early mining camp. The exact location is unknown, but it was around Maitland and Carbonate.-
LookoutPenningtonc. 1884-c. 1890NeglectedThe residential community of Fort Lookout.-
Lost CampLawrenceNeglected-
LuffmanMarshallBarren-

M through O

Name County Dates Status Notes
MacyButte
MaitlandLawrence1877-c. 1915NeglectedAlso called Midland, Garden City, and Sherman.
MaitlandFall RiverBarren
ManchesterKingsburyJune 29, 1881-June 24, 2003BarrenThe town was already in decline when it was completely destroyed during the 2003 South Dakota tornado outbreak. All that remains are the foundations of the buildings.
March
MariettaFall RiverBarren
Martin ValleyCuster
MasonButte
MauriceLawrenceNow the site of the power plant for the Homestake Mine.
MaverickPenningtonNeglectedExisted around 1891.
MayoCusterNeglected
MelvinCuster
MerrittLawrenceBarren
Middle BoxelderLawrenceBarrenThis town's existence was proven by early photographs. However, its exact location is unknown.
MinneapolisPenningtonBarren
MinnelusaPenningtonBarrenExisted in 1920.
MinneselaButte1882-1901BarrenThe first county seat of Butte County, it was notable for its rivalry with the neighboring town of Belle Fourche in the 1890s.
MogulLawrence
Montana CityLawrence1879-?Not to be confused with Gregory, South Dakota, which was also called Montana City and was also located in Lawrence County. Montana City later became part of Deadwood.
MontezumaLawrence
MoonPenningtonNeglected
MorganfieldUnion
Moss CityCusterIts exact location is unknown. It was most likely in eastern Custer County. It had a post office during the Black Hills Gold Rush days, but its population was never determined.
Myers CityPenningtonNeglectedAlso called Myersville.
MysticPenningtonAbandonedAlso called Sitting Bull.
NahantLawrence1890-?Barren
NasbyLawrenceBarrenExisted around 1910 as a booming logging camp.
Nerve CityLawrence1896Located about north of Balmoral.
New BerlinLawrence1878-?Barren
New ChicagoLawrencec. 1875-1877BarrenWas a camp later absorbed into Maitland, South Dakota.
Newton CityPenningtonc. 1878-?Barren
North GalenaLawrenceBarrenThe exact location is unknown, but it was probably somewhere around Galena. It was also called Carter City.
NovakLawrenceNeglectedAlso called Cindell Spur.
Nugget CityLawrenceBarrenWas in existence before or around 1898.
Oak FlatLawrenceBarren
Ochre CityPenningtonBarrenWas a booming mining community around 1879.
OkobojoSullyNeglected
Old AshtonSpinkNeglected
OrdwayBrown
OroLawrenceAlso called North Lead.
Oreville
OtisCusterBarrenThe Custer State Game Lodge was built on the site of the town's mill.

P through R

S through T

V through Z