Spokane, South Dakota

Spokane is a ghost town located in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. It was a mining camp in the Black Hills.[3]

Spokane, South Dakota
Ghost town
Spokane
Location in the state of South Dakota
Coordinates: 43.8413775°N 103.3799128°W / 43.8413775; -103.3799128[1]
CountryUnited States
StateSouth Dakota
CountyCuster
Founded1890
Elevation4,521 ft (1,378 m)
Demonym(s)Spokanite
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
GNIS feature ID[1][2]1262481

Naming

Spokane was named after Spokane, Washington, via a local silver mine.[4]

History

Spokane was originally intended to be a gold mining town,[5] but the Spokane Mine also produced silver, lead,[5] beryl, copper, mica, hematite, graphite, and zinc. Both the town and mine were founded in 1890.[3] 1927 was one of the town's best years, when the town's profits totaled $144,742. The town turned this money into a school, and several new miners entered the area. The mine soon began to fail again, and it closed in 1940. By this decade, the town was already largely abandoned. In the 1950s, a few companies unsuccessfully tried to reopen the mine. The mine's buildings eventually burned down, and others that were deemed unsafe were destroyed by the U.S. Forest Service. A watchman remained in the town until the mid-1980s, and after that, the town was officially abandoned.[5]

The remains of the town include the schoolhouse, a few old cars, a root cellar, and a few foundations.[5]

Geography

Spokane was located in the Black Hills in Custer County.[3] It is 16 miles east of Custer.[1]

References
  1. "Spokane". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1980-02-13. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. Traylor, Gerald; Chenoweth, Henry; Woodfin, Aaron; Woodfin, Mike. "Spokane". Ghost Towns. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  4. Federal Writers' Project (1940). South Dakota place-names, v.3. University of South Dakota. p. 61.
  5. O'Sullivan, Joe (2013-06-11). "R.I.P. Spokane". Inlander. Spokane, Washington: The Pacific NW Inlander. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
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