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.
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
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.
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 the summer of 1927, President and Mrs. Calvin Coolidge attended a town picnic at the farm.
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."
The train still ran along the tracks near town, but it just kept going...no longer leaving fresh water for residents to use.
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.
