The Tiny South Dakota Ghost Town That Dried Up And Disappeared Completely

South Dakota's ghost towns are fascinating remnants of history and can easily evoke nostalgia for times long gone. Here's a little town with a heartbreaking story that's hard to forget; these ghost towns in South Dakota all seem to have intriguing histories, but some are sadder than others. Take Ardmore, for example:

The town of Ardmore was located near the South Dakota/Nebraska border, south of Hot Springs.

The town was founded in 1889, mainly as a stop for the New Burlington Railroad's trains. At the time, the steam engines needed to stop at little towns along the route to take on more water.

Ardmore was a town that suffered from drought and a noticeable lack of water almost from the beginning.

While Hat Creek provided water during wetter years, the water was fairly acidic. Ardmore provided the acidic water to the steam trains, which supplied fresh drinking water for residents in return.

In 1911, an experimental farm was established in Ardmore, to try a new concept called "Dry Farming."

In the summer of 1927, President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge attended a town picnic at the farm.

Things went okay, but just a few years later, Ardmore was suffering from drought and the dry farming idea was abandoned.

When the above photo was taken in 1936, the photographer was already referring to Ardmore as a "ghost town that is decaying as a result of drought."

When steam locomotives were replaced by diesel, the New Burlington Railroad no longer needed to stop for water.

The train still ran along the tracks near town, but it just kept going - no longer leaving fresh water for residents to use.

A few hardy souls stayed here for several more decades, but the town really never thrived again.

Of all the ghost towns in South Dakota, this one might have the most fascinating backstory.

By 1980, the U.S. Census showed that only 16 people called Ardmore home.

The little community occasionally hosts a town reunion, but the place is truly a ghost town. Many buildings and houses still stand - all remnants of a town that tried its hardest to survive, but in the end dried up and was abandoned.

Have you ever visited Ardmore? If you're interested in exploring more of South Dakota's ghost towns, check out Scenic, an abandoned town with an eerie atmosphere.