Lost Dakota


Lost Dakota is a small portion of land that was left over after the division of the relatively gigantic former Dakota Territory into five other states in the late 19th century.
Approximately in size, and a third the size of Manhattan, the parcel was located at the tripoint between the modern states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The patch of land existed as a remote exclave of the Dakota Territory, west of the rest of the territory, although it was still an official part of the territory, having been forgotten by the U.S. government—for roughly five years, it was completely forgotten due to faulty maps and surveys. Some see it retrospectively as a perfect area for criminals to escape the law; however, there is no evidence that criminals ever sought refuge in the exclave. In 1873, it was transferred to Gallatin County, Montana Territory. Lost Dakota is excessively distanced from settlement to this day and completely undeveloped, being without a street, road or even a footpath as of 2010, and is reportedly “plagued” by bears.