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
Sites no longer in existence or have been destroyed
Deserted or barren
Covered with water
Reverted to pasture
May have a few difficult-to-find foundations/footings at most
Neglected site
Only rubble left
Buildings or houses still standing, but majority are roofless
Abandoned site
Building or houses still standing but all abandoned
No population, except possibly a caretaker
Site no longer in existence except for one or two buildings
A Mr. Allen began mining on Spring Creek some time in 1875 or 1876. He mined approximately $2,000 in gold and dust. He was elected as the recorder for Slate Creek Mining District. He was elected to the Wyoming legislature when he returned to Cheyenne. Found in Andreas' Historical Atlas.[2]
From historic road side marker - #270 Black Hills Tragedy
“This was Brownsville; half a mile E, down Elk Creek in 1883, was the Hood & Scott lumberMill near rails end at Allerton.The boarding house at Mill burnt down on 10–11 March anddying in the fire were: Albert Tunnicliff, Raisha C. Rice, James Chalmers, Samuel Haines, FredD. Peters, Thomas Finless, Charles Hammontree, Peter and Louis Hanson, Harvey Wood andW.H. Andrews. They were buried in Mt. Moriah Cemetery in a common grave. One of theworst Hills tragedies.”Erected: 1959[3]
This small settlement was very close, nearly the same to, Myersville. As early as 1878, it had a population of 20. In 1883, The Alta Lodi Mining company built a 40 stamp mill, which was later moved to Lookout. In 1893, James Cochran built a 16 ton Huntington Mill, which he operated until 1917. Exploratory work continued sporadically until 1936, but it is possible that only in its early days could Alta be considered anything more than a single mine and its community.[1]
The exact location is unknown, due to flooding that has destroyed all traces of the town.[citation needed]American City was reportedly at the mouth of a long valley leading into Spearfish Canyon, but repeated floods in the area removed all traces of it.[1]
This town was in the Ragged Top mining district. Not to be confused with Anchor City. Town possibly took its name from the Balmoral and Anchor group of mining claims.[1]
This was an early mining camp close to Deadwood on Deadwood Creek above Golden Gate and Central City. Also called "Anchor"; not to be confused with Anchor. The population was recorded, in 1881, to be 291.[1]
Was located on Annie Creek. It was the Annie Creek Mining Company which was, formerly, known as "The New Reliance" and, even earlier, as "The Reliance" Group. The Reliance produce over $600,000 worth of gold up to 1916 and further sampling was done in 1935, but up to 1974 no recent production was reported. The mailing address of the Reliance Mill was Portland. The 1915 USGS map seems to show a narrow gauge railroad leading almost to the mine.[1]
The Reliance Mine is 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) west of Trojan or 2 miles (3.2 km) Northeast of Elmore. Any evidence of the town is buried on the tailings of an open pit mine.[4]
"Argyle" is named for an early settler to the area. No physical evidence remains, except the site rests next to the Mickelson Trail (old Burlington tracks) [5]
This post office and small village was established west of Whitney (6 miles, 9.7 km), as Whitney was fading out of the picture somewhat. Athboy was a fourth class post office near Black Horse Creek (Whitney Creek). The population was 12 in 1940 and included a blacksmith shop on the corner of "Tuff Avenue and Thunder Hawk Street", as well as a grocery store and post office. Ralph Moore was the first postmaster in December 1917 and continued in the capacity until March 1944, when the mail went to Meadow. The Ruther's maintained the general store, post office and blacksmith shop. The Ruthers also had a gas pump, after cars were used in the area.[7]
Town is in the SE 1⁄4 of section 5 T3S – R4E north of Custer and about two miles (3.2 km) of Bernie Siding, but location of the mine is unknown as no ruins have been found.
Barren
The exact location of the town and its mine are a mystery. Atlantic City, according to Black Hills Ghost Towns, was home to the Atlantic Mine and its 40 stamp mill. I have found a mine called "The Atlantic" through mine data, which is apparently still a mine claimed. Not sure if same mine, but is in Custer. Link to information about the Atlantic Mine - http://nevada-outback-gems.com/Gold_rush_history/South_Dakota/S_Dakota13.htm
Located in Custer State Park. The 1901 USGS map of the area shows just two houses here. On the south fork of Lame Johnny Creek. In 1887, it had a post office and, in 1900, a population of 27 people.[1]
Found on a map USGennet used as a header (also discovered on 1921 Rand McNally and Company map) on; it seemed to have been located on the North Fork Sulpher Creek (earlier, known as also "Rattle Snake Creek"), very close to the Butte County - Delano (Meade) County borders. Map link - Northwest of Sulpher which was in Meade County. LOCATION (USGS MAP) - Found on 1910 NEWELL USGS map T.11.N - R.9.E
Found in WPA Project book under Ghost Towns South Dakota Place Names : 25 miles (40.2 km) Northeast of Newell, derived its name from the wife of the first postmaster, Mrs. Smith E. Russel, whose maiden name was Ball. The post office was discontinued many years before the publication.
Not to be confused with Bear Butte, the butte located to the southeast of the town site. Bear Butte was a mining town on Bear Butte Creek, approximately where Galena is now, or further east down the creek.
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.
Apparently, this was a placer camp laid out in January 1878, in the Germania district, 1/2 mile (0.8 km) above Quartz City, which in turn was on the supposed junction of Hay and Elk Creeks.[1]
Homme was a booming town during territorial day. It was destined to be the territorial capital and was later promised the territorial prison. The first school in the territory was located there. Declined after being bypassed by the railroad.
An old map shows Boughton as S-W of Deadwood, on the east side of the Fort Pierre Railroad and Southwest of Pennington. Boughton possibly is the same as Broughton[citation needed], but since there were notable men of both names, it could be possible there was two towns in close proximity of each other. First postmaster was Eusebe C. Violin in 1880, but the post office was discontinued in October 1882. In 1891, it had a population of 151. Broughton was located about 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Lead on the railroad, from Central City to Brownsville.
The dates listed are the dates that the post office was in operation. John Brasch was installed as postmaster on Feb. 2nd 1881, but the post office was discontinued in June 1882.
Buena Vista, north of Edgemont. provided grindstones. Some are still there, too big for even vandals to damage or remove. Buena Vista was in the SWÁ, Sec. 17, T8S, R3E
Calcite was named because calcite, a crystallized carbonate in the limestone located there, was treated there to produce lime for the Homestake Mining Company.
The lime kilns were operated there for 10 to 12 years, during which time the entire population consisted of the workers and their family. When the production of lime was discontinued, the railroad located there was torn up and most of the buildings were moved. In 1934, a veterans CCC camp was established on the site, but it to was moved. Looking at satellite views of the area, nothing remains.
Four miles (6.4 km) southeast of Mystic, the town was named because of its location in a canyon. The town was a booming mining camp with a population of 400 people, during its heyday. When the mines began to fail, the town was doomed to be one of the Black Hills ghost towns. Looking at Satellite imagery of the area, and according to online reports found, there is no remaining evidence of the town or the railroad that was there.
Not to be confused with Carterville. Cartersville in 1879 had approximately twenty cabins and a restaurant, and was near the Caledonia, Carter and Lincoln Mines on Elk Creek. The Caledonia was later absorbed into the Homestake Operations, which would indicate that Cartersville, also known as "Lincoln", was somewhere near the Homestake. Today, the townsite is the entrance of the Kirk George S. Mickelson Trail Trailhead.
Not to be confused with Cartersville. The general area of Carterville was also known variously as: Elkhorn (I), Gregory and Montana City. The name "Carterville", apparently, came from a Carter Mine (not listed in the "Black Hills Mineral" Atlas) in that region.
Carwye owed its name to its position at the end of one of the Homestake Mining Company's narrow gauge railroad lines. To save backing the trains many miles, a Y was installed at the end of the line and the station was called "Car Y", which soon became Carwye. The busy little railroad and lumbering town consisted of several stores, saloons, boarding houses and homes of the railroad workers and lumber men, who worked for the Homestake Mining Company. The railroad lines were torn up and the town of Carwye, literally, disappeared over night.
Is in Alabough Canyon, about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Hot Springs, on SD 87. It was founded in 1888 as a resort town. A warm mineral spring, gushing out 2,000 gallons (7.6 m3) of warm water a minute, was to be the invitation to attract visitors to the resort town. A four-story, hundred-room hotel was built. 36 city blocks were laid out and partially developed. It was thought the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad would go through Cascade, on its way to Hot Springs. It probably would have had developers not held up the railroad for high right-of-way prices, which forced the railroad to seek another route, which it did. Cascade then, gradually, began to decline and, by 1900, only a post office and 25 people remained.
J. Austin Lewis was appointed postmaster of Castleville on March 27, 1877, and the post office was discontinued on September 24, 1879. "Searching Ancestry.com" found the United States Government listing J. Austin Lewis as postmaster with the above dates, Castleville, Custer County, Dakota Territories.
Existed around 1876. Centennial City was about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) up the creek from Cook City, and in 1876 had a grocery store, restaurant and three or four miners' cabins.
Had a population of 52, in 1900. It was served by a post office. It appears to have centered around a benchmark, in Centennial Prairie. Only the early maps show it as a town.
This was the name locally applied to the community which sprang up at the turn of the century around the workings of the Black Hills Copper Company. The claims held by the company, including The Climax, Bee, Solnar, and Copper Reef 1 and 2. There were many shallow workings and an 800-foot (243.8-meter) inclined shaft. Some 800 tons were shipped prior to 1917; in that year, 38 tons more, yielding 6.12% copper and 2.34 ounces (66.3 g) of gold to the ton were gleaned from the dumps and surface workings.
Was in the same mining district as Balmoral, Preston and Dacy. Cyanide was in the Ragged Top District. There was a school and a post office. Nearby were the Ragged Top Holdings of the Spearfish Gold Mining and Reduction Company, as well as its 300-ton cyanide mill, built in 1902 and from which it is possible the town took its name.
Was in the same mining district as Balmoral, Cyanide and Preston. The settlement, later known as Dacy, appears on the 1900 USGS maps as two solid blocks of buildings on either side of a road in the Cyanide area, with 8 other buildings scattered around its outskirts. The Dacy Mine, which was otherwise known as the Flora E. Group, was nearby and probably gave the name to the town. The only production recorded was $20,000 of gold in 1897 and, by 1915, the town was reduced to three scattered houses.
Had a maximum population of 50-75 people, but as early as 1886, it was pretty well played out and closed down. Dansby was the location of a custom mill for processing placer gravels hauled in, some of them in wheel barrows from the shallow diggings.
Existed around 1880. The surviving ruins of the town were torn down in 1967. In 1880, Diamond City had: the Enos' or Diamond City, stamp mill, a store, a saloon, a post office, presided over by Charles W. Yana (post office was in operation from Mar 18th, 1880 to Mar 29th 1881, according to U.S. government documents), and about a dozen homes containing a population containing 30 people. It was about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Rochford, on Silver Creek.[1]
"Dumont" was named for Charles Dumont, an early French settler. It was founded in 1890 as a lumbering camp and shipping point for cattle. The railroad maintained a section house, and the spur to Hanna branched off from Dumont, toward the northwest. The lumbering faded away, the dry years spoiled the cattling and the tracks to Hanna were torn up. Nothing remains of the original town site. The Michelson Trail passes through the area.
Later incorporated into Deadwood It was between Montana City and Foundation City, in Whitewood Gulch, and was big enough, in 1876, to have its own Fourth of July Celebration, with an oration by A.B. Chapline. The 1880 census shows a population of 316.
"Elmore" was named for the Mike Elmore, a railroad contractor. It was the spot from which the Chicago Burlington and Quincy began its narrow-gauge climb up the east side of Spearfish Canyon, along Annie Creek. The line washed out in 1933 or 1934 and was abandoned.
Founded in 1900 when a branch line of the Milwaukee Railroad came through the area. The town was named for Olive Evarts, spouse of Gene Overholser, a local landowner, who owned the land on which the train tracks were, eventually, laid. The town became an important cattle shipping point for the great cattle ranches located west of the Missouri Trunk. The town soon boasted of: saloons, hotels, brothels, gambling houses and supply stores of many descriptions. A bridge built over the Missouri Trunk nearby dramatically reduced business needs in the community and it, eventually, faded to ghost town status. After this, the community was abandoned, many of the buildings were moved to nearby Glenham. (SD-T17/p. 66,130)
Existed around 1887. The book Cow-boys and Colonels has a picture of the town, showing a saw mill, three or four houses and an odd structure, that looks like a framework for a large stamp mill.[1] The town was on Little Rapid Creek, near where Little Gimlet Creek enters it.[12]
The ghost town of Farmingdale is named after the surrounding area, being capable of sustaining farmland. The town rests on the banks of Rapid Creek. The abandoned railroad grade and State Route 44 cut through the center of town.[13]
Firesteel is an unincorporated community on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, in Dewey County, South Dakota, United States. It was known for being a prominent coal mining community in the early 1900s.
Was an early placer mining camp, that had a significant population, but was later absorbed into Deadwood. Not to be confused with the Gayville, from Yankton County.
From Rochford, South Dakota, which was, apparently, a close by neighbor. Other local camps included: Montezuma, Golden Centre, Tigerville, Montana City, Ochre City, Sitting Bull, Florence, Castleton and Elkorn.[citation needed] For a time, it was rumored that the western part of Pennington County would split and become Martin County, and would make Rochford the county seat, but no such action was ever taken.[citation needed] That year, Rochford worried that the nearby camp of Golden Centre would take over, as the central point of trade.[citation needed]
According to Parker and Lambert's Black Hills Ghost Towns, the location of Gold Hill was described as being laid out in 1877 on Whitewood Creek, at the mouth of the Reno Creek, about 3 miles (4.8 km) above Kirk.
Interesting article here, about the county of Corson itself and why there are many towns (about 10 miles (16.1 km) apart). It involves the rail roads and their steam engines needing to be filled with water about every 10 miles.
Found information on Gopher, in "WPA South Dakota Place Names" (1941) - at the time of publication, the town population was 13 and still had a post maintained there. The town was named after the common native rodent. It was founded in 1918 and, in 1940, the property remaining in the village, including a store, post office and other buildings, were sold for taxes, sold for "lock stock and barrel", for $150.
"McGuire's Coming Empire" shows the town of Grandview about 7 miles (11.3 km) northwest of Pactola, just at the south fork of the Boxelder Creek, south of the Lawrence County.
Griggs was a silver camp on Bear Butte Creek, half a mile (0.8 km) north of Galena, at the mouth of Butcher Gulch. It was a station on the narrow gauge Deadwood Central and, possibly, also on Jim Hardin's Branch Mint Line.
Not to be confused with the military encampment by the same name, in Custer County. Harney, 2 miles (3.2 km) of west of Keystone on Battle Creek, was laid out in 1876 and, soon, had a school and post office, in addition to the usual homes and business establishments. Gold deposits "panned" out by 1878 and were abandoned. In 1883, the Harney Hydraulic Gold Mining Company was organized, with A.J. Simmon, William Claggett and T.H. Russell as chief incorporators. They built two flumes, one from Grizzly Creek and the other from Battle Creek. The two combined at the mouth of Grizzly Gulch, to pass over its canyon, on a trestle 200 feet (61 m) high and 700 feet (213.4 m) long. Despite these efforts, Harney was pretty well deserted by 1900 and had, at that time, neither a school, nor post office.
Also spelled "Hayword". Gold was discovered at Hayward by Charles Phillips, Phillip Brown and Judge Willis, in the fall of 1876, but the area was abandoned when Indians shot up the camp. In November of the same year, Charles Hayward and James E. Carpenter with six others came in from Custer and laid out a town, which they named after Hayward. Within six months, there were 300 miners and, by April 1877, the town became the temporary county seat of Custer County. However, since Hayward was not in Custer County, Custer eventually won out as the county seat. For a while, Hayward was the site of an extensive hydraulic mining and a post office and school were set up. It is about 7 miles (11.3 km) east of Keystone, on the Hermosa Road.
Existed around January 1877. The Cheyenne Daily Leader, on January 12, 1877, mentioned this mining community, named for its recorder, as being on the west side of Battle Creek where the gulch opens out towards Hayward City, which would probably be at the mouth of the gorge.
Not to be confused with Yamboya, which was also called "Ivanhoe", but was a separate community. Ivanhoe was described in the "Rand McNally" Atlas as having railroad service and no post office. Ivanhoe was on a branch of Coolidge Creek. It once had a half dozen houses.[citation needed] Confusingly, this town was also called "Yamboya".[1]
Junction City, on Tenderfoot Gulch, was named for the Grand Junction mine and appears to have been in existence as early as September 1879. The name "Junction City" applies to quite a wide area, the mine itself, up and down Tenderfoot Gulch, and clear over to the Junction Ranger Station. The mine closed down in 1881, having processes 7,000 tons of ore that yielded only $3.58 worth of gold to the ton.[15]
Kiddville was an early placer mining camp, mentioned as early as Sept. 20th 1879, as being 4 miles (6.4 km) up French Creek from Custer. Early maps place it near the Penobscot Mine.
A small mining town in Lawrence county, 7 miles (11.3 km) west of Iron Creek, the railroad station. Population: 25. 1909 "Business Directory" found here.
"The Black Hills Illustrated" (page 44) has a view, labeled "Lexington", apparently a mine, but, probably, also the name giving to the community around it. The Lexington Hill mine formed in 1903.
Most likely submerged beneath Angostura Lake. A post office in Fall River county, 16 miles (25.8 km) southeast of Hot Springs, the nearest railroad point. Population: 6. "Business Directory" from 1909 can be found here.
Was an early mining camp. The exact location is unknown, but it was around Maitland and Carbonate. This was a Black Hills mining camp, more or less in the same area as Garden City (Maitland), Carbonate Camp and Grizzly Gulch, apparently in area north and west of Deadwood and Lead.
The residential community of Fort Lookout. Lookout was an early mining camp on Castle Creek, about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Mystic. It was probably named for the Lookout mine, discovered in 1882 by J.T. Hooper and F.J. Ayers. As early as 1884, there was a sawmill in Lookout, run by Fisher and Hunter, and 126 men were busy digging the ditch to provide water to power Robinson and Hawgood's Spread Eagle Mine. More information found here, including location.
May have been, at one time, a large settlement, but even the older maps do not show any houses at all. It is 1/2 mile (0.8 km) southwest of Terry Peak.
Found earliest map (Rand McNally and Company): 1893, on Main Creek in North Butte County, between Gustave and Hay Stack Buttes. Latest map showing it existing is P.F. Collier and Son, 1907. Business gazettes show no railroad, did find mention of a cemetery, but nothing shows at location and no known graves or photos on FindAGrave.
Maitland is a crossroads, south of the Cheyenne, on Hat Creek, according to "Black Hills Ghost Towns", by Parker and Lambert. Early atlases show it as a location of a post office and little else. Not to be confused with Maitland in Lawrence County.
The 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.
Aerial view of Manchester after the tornado outbreak that destroyed the town in 2003.
Was, once, the center of a widely scattered community and had a school and a post office. The name came from the Martin Family, owners of the 7-11 Ranch, in the valley.
Existed around 1891. Adreas' Atlas shows Maverick as a small village and a post office on a northwest branch of Spring Creek. In 1891, it had a population of 19, but the post office had gone out of business.
In its early days, Mayo seem to have been the center of, at least, 3 clusters of houses. The area is to the west of U.S. 385, about 7 miles (11.3 km) south of Custer, across the highway, from Beecher's Rock.
About a mile (1.6 km) N-E of Rochford, on Silver Creek, Minneapolis was the site of a number of shallow mines and a mill to process whatever ores they found. Nearby is Richards Spring.
The Mogul-Horseshoe Company was at this location and, apparently, used the Welcome (II) and the Mogul spurs of the Deadwood Central line that came S-W, from Kirk. The company was an important one, producing over $7,000,000 in gold, during its years of operation. See also Welcome II.
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.
Its 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.
A town, named Pearl, from Beadle County is visible on the 1893 "Rand McNally and Company" maps. An aerial map of the town was drawn in 1913.[18] Looking at street view of the area, nothing is left. Population of the area is showing 23.
Andreas' Atlas shows Pinkerton as a small village, on the north side of Boxelder Creek. It was probably a mile (1.6 km) of the present day fish farm, on the site of the old town of Merritt.
Located 10 miles (16.1 km) north and one mile (1.6 km) east of Crookston, Nebraska, right north of the state line (at which the Nebraska paved road ends and becomes gravel in South Dakota). The towns (Lakeview and Purewater) are accessible only via dirt roads.
Home of the Safe Investment Gold Mining Company. Small community on Boxelder Creek, on the Black Hills and Fort Pierre Railroad, between Novak and Greenwood.
An 1883 map shows this town at the headwaters of a creek, which branches off of the Bear Butte Creek, below Sturgis. The map is rather inaccurate, but it shows the town about 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) S-W of Sturgis, on a line between Sturgis and Lead.
A famous stop, on trail up to Custer. It is about 20 miles (32.2 km) S-W of Custer, in Red Canyon. It was a scene of a lively Indian fight, involving Captain J. Hunter and 6 other men, in which Hunter was killed.
Center, top line of section 0, T2N-R5E. The camp, which served the important "Government Sale, Number one" of National Forest timber, was on Jim Creek, near Nemo. The timber sale was in T25-R5E; cutting began in 1899 and was completed in 1908.
This Summit was on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad, between Rapid City and Hot Spring or, more specifically, between Buffalo Gap and Fairburn. In 1901, there seems to have been a siding and, perhaps, three houses.
On the Chicago and North Western, between Rapid City and Hot Springs. This Summit was just north of Spring Creek, about 8 miles (12.9 km) north of Hermosa.
Kingsbury "History of Dakota" mentions this city more or less as an adjunct to the Northern Star, Mecca and Placer gold and mica mines. Sylvan City, apparently, housed a axle-grease factory, making use of ground mica as a lubricant.
Early maps show Teepee as a town, but no other records of it appears. It was, probably, near the present Tepee Ranger Station. Records show that there was a postmaster here, in 1918. Found on 1916 (Chicago: Rand McNally and Co., 1916; from The Ideal Atlas of the World) map of Pennington County, Northwest corner of county. Looking at other maps around the same time, I found Teepee (Tepee) in Lawrence County, around Crooks Tower (Tepee).
Tepee, Pennington Co., SD - 1909 "Business Directory". A post office in Pennington county, 30 miles (48.3 km) northwest of Hill City, the nearest railroad point. Population: 10.
Tenderfoot, along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, between Hill City and Custer, is in Tenderfoot Gulch and either named, or took the name of the Tenderfoot group of tin mines. These claims, originally, belonging to the Harney Peak Tin Mining, milling and manufacturing company. It is about 8 miles (12.9 km) south of Hill City.
Texana seems to have consisted of a house or two along the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Railroad, from Trojan to Central City. The railroad, here, makes a deep hairpin loop to the west, that is nearly half-a-mile (0.8 km) long and Texana laid just south of the base of the loop and south of Deadwood Creek.
Established as a post office in 1914, at the Oens Ranch, and was called "Oens Ranch", until 1917. Then, the patrons decided they wanted a new name, so each suggested a name and the list was sent to the post office department, who decided on "Twilight", the last name on the list. Among other names suggested were: Sage Brush and Trail Creek. Source
Also called "Two Bit". Started during the gold rush of 1876, but did not get booming, until 1892 when the Gold Mountain Mining Company began development. In 1897, the Hardin properties began and, by 1899, were shipping 30 tons of pyrite a day to the Golden Rewards smelter, at Astoria. As late as 1916, the Mary Group, a late comer, shipped 1,600 pounds (725.8 kg) of tungsten ore, as did the Seth R. Group.
Existed around 1900. A junction of the Burlington line, from Trojan to Lead, with that leading off west, to Bucks. In 1900, there were about half a dozen houses in the vicinity.
Woodville, also known as "Lake Station" and "The Lake", from a small pond nearby, was a wood cutting camp, which supplied fuel for the locomotives which ran between Englewood and Piedmont. It was also the scene of several attempts to rob the Homestake payroll train; the most famous occurred on September 12, 1888, when John Wilson, Jack Doherty, Alfred G. Nickerson and a man named Murphy ran into a good deal of trouble, while making the attempt.
Klock, Irma H. (June 1975). Yesterday's Gold Camps and Mines in the Northern Black Hills (1st ed.). Lead, SD: Seaton Publishing Company.
Wolle, Muriel Sibell (1966) [1953]. The Bonanza Trail: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of the West (5th ed.). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
