Posted in South Dakota March 02, 2018 by

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

South Dakota’s ghost towns are fascinating remnants of history and evoke nostalgia for times long gone. Here’s a little town with a heartbreaking story.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life. While we continue to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, please take proper precautions or add them to your bucket list to see at a later date. If you know of a local business that could use some extra support during these times, please nominate them here: onlyinyourstate.com/nominate
The town of Ardmore is located near the South Dakota/Nebraska border, south of Hot Springs.
Google
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 droughts and lack of water almost from the beginning.
Greg Gjerdingen/flickr
While Hat Creek provided water during wet years, the water was fairly acidic. Ardmore provided the acidic water to the steam trains, which left fresh drinking water for residents in return.
In 1911, an experimental farm was established in Ardmore, to try a new concept called "Dry Farming."
Ardmore South Dakota/Facebook
In the summer of 1927, President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge attended a town picnic at the farm.
But just a few years later, Ardmore was suffering from drought and the dry farming idea was abandoned.
Library of Congress
When this 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.
MortAuPat/flickr
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 on for several more decades, but the town really never thrived.
MortAuPat/flickr
By 1980, the U.S. Census showed that only 16 people called Ardmore home.
JohnTheBear/Tripadvisor
The little community occasionally hosts a reunion here, but the town is truly a ghost town. Many buildings and houses still stand - a remnant 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.