• HOME
  • Discover the Black Hills
  • Attractions
    • Crazy Horse Memorial
    • Mount Rushmore National Memorial
    • Needles Highway
    • Sylvan Lake
    • Badlands National Park
    • Custer State Park
    • Black Elk Wilderness Area
    • Native American Arts and Culture
    • Wildlife of the Black Hills
    • Spearfish Canyon
    • Restaurants Near Badlands National Park
    • Best Views In The Black Hills
    • The Best Dining in the Black Hills
    • Breweries in the Black Hills
    • Weather of the Black Hills
    • Family Fun in The Black Hills
    • Black Hills Culture
    • Badlands National Park Pictures and Photos
    • Movies Made in Badlands National Park
    • The Best Views in Badlands National Park
    • Images of Badlands National Park
  • FAQ's
    • General Questions
    • Custer State Park FAQ's
    • Badlands National Park FAQ's
  • Contact Us
  • MORE
    • Employment
    • Store
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Notorious U.S. Army Figures
    • Notable Lakota Figures
    • Legends And Bandits of the Black Hills and Badlands >
      • Story of Lame Johnny
    • Metals, Gems, Rocks and Minerals of the Black Hills and Badlands
    • The Story of Calamity Jane
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Corporate Responsibility
MY XO ADVENTURES
  • HOME
  • Discover the Black Hills
  • Attractions
    • Crazy Horse Memorial
    • Mount Rushmore National Memorial
    • Needles Highway
    • Sylvan Lake
    • Badlands National Park
    • Custer State Park
    • Black Elk Wilderness Area
    • Native American Arts and Culture
    • Wildlife of the Black Hills
    • Spearfish Canyon
    • Restaurants Near Badlands National Park
    • Best Views In The Black Hills
    • The Best Dining in the Black Hills
    • Breweries in the Black Hills
    • Weather of the Black Hills
    • Family Fun in The Black Hills
    • Black Hills Culture
    • Badlands National Park Pictures and Photos
    • Movies Made in Badlands National Park
    • The Best Views in Badlands National Park
    • Images of Badlands National Park
  • FAQ's
    • General Questions
    • Custer State Park FAQ's
    • Badlands National Park FAQ's
  • Contact Us
  • MORE
    • Employment
    • Store
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Notorious U.S. Army Figures
    • Notable Lakota Figures
    • Legends And Bandits of the Black Hills and Badlands >
      • Story of Lame Johnny
    • Metals, Gems, Rocks and Minerals of the Black Hills and Badlands
    • The Story of Calamity Jane
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Corporate Responsibility

The Ghost Town of Spokane South Dakota

11/17/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Picture

Spokane Ghost Town in the Black Hills

It’s my last day of the year to visit Custer State Park. I’m on my own and decided to take Iron Mountain Road to pay a visit to the old ghost town of Spokane, South Dakota. I came here after reading a book called the Spokane Kid, a story about a boy becoming a man as he learned the ways of the Black Hills. Living in Keystone, he initially helped out on several campgrounds before becoming a guide in the Black Hills.
 
It’s a story I can relate to. There’s so much to learn here, and so much to respect. His Black Hills Adventures take him around the entire mountain range with his father. It took them days, running across old timer miners, camping along the shores of Center Lake, Sylvan Lake and throughout what is now Custer State Park.
 
Back at this time there were quite a few little towns through Custer, which no longer exist because of the formation of the park. These lands were purchased, added to the park and flattened to let nature take over. The story speaks of the town of Spokane, which like most mountain towns was mined for gold, but they soon found the area was much richer in silver, mica and zinc.
 
I pulled over to Spokane Creek Campground, parked the car and followed the little sign that said “Ghost Town” on it. The colors of the forest were still golds and browns, with the Ponderosa Pine bursting with green needles. Spokane Creek ran along the trail, making it a little wet and muddy, but I was on a mission.
 
Soon I begin to find evidence of miners at work. Mostly consisting of rusted sheets of metal, cans, bottles and the like. The best park along the way are tailings. Tailings are the small to medium size rocks taken from the ground and piled up nearby. I can see quartz, mica, feldspar and granite. The ground appears to be littered with the jewels of the Black Hills.
 
Still searching for the old town of Spokane, I wandered on not seeing a trace of buildings until I come across a cut in the forest where electrical lines run. Here I see the foundation of a building. Whenever you’re in the Black Hills, it’s important to stop, look and listen. I imagine what it was like in 1893, when the story was written.
 
As I look around, I see large gaps between the older trees with younger growth in between. These are the trails and roads that used to exist and a road leads to more buildings. I follow it, and come across a home, with an outbuilding, classic cars and all kinds of mining artifacts. There are mining depressions in the ground dotted everywhere. Storage tanks are built into the ground holding who knows what.
 
I’m in the past, walking through areas that first indigenous people occupied and more recently settlers from the east. It’s incredibly beautiful. I feel a sadness come over me as I realize my time here is coming to a close, albeit temporarily.
 
Facts about Spokane South Dakota:

  • Spokane Ghost Town was founded in 1890
  • A vein of quartz is what peaked the miners interest
  • Less gold was found than mica, silver and graphite.
  • Several significant structures still stand on the site
  • The hike to Spokane South Dakota is moderate.
  • Parking can be found at the Spokane Creek Campground.
  • You can also park off of Forest Service Road 330
  • Spokane’s coordinates are N43.840657, W103.376041
 
This makes for a great trail hike before entering the Eastern Side of Custer State Park. Pick up the book “Spokane Kid” at the Iron Mountain Road gift shop at Spokane Creek Campground. Maybe soon, I’ll be leading hikes through the hills and telling tall tales of the Black Hills National Forest.
 
Visitors have been coming to this area as tourists for a variety of reasons since the late 1800’s. It wasn’t all about mining back then, just mostly. Here’s a map of  Custer State Park. The roads through the park such as the Wildlife Loop Road, Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road can get you turned around, so I suggest hiring a guide for a Black Hills Tour.  
 
I hope to see you starting in April of 2022 for another season in the Sacred Black Hills of South Dakota!

Daniel Milks, Owner of My XO Adventures

Traveler, Adventurer, Daredevil and occasional writer. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    January 2023
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019

Badlands NAtional PArk
Native American Information
Family FUN in The Black HIlls
Information on the Black Hills
Restaurants Near Badlands National Park
Rapid City Recommended Hotels
Best Restaurants in the Black hills

TRAVEL NEWSLETTER



Picture

BOOK
ONLINE
​24/7/365


​HAVE QUESTIONS?

Read our Q&A's or contact us via phone from 8 AM to 6 PM Mountain time  Sunday – Monday. Phone: 605-252-9100
About Us
Contact US
FAQ's
Travel Blog
SMART WAIVER
INSURE YOUR TOUR

Vertical Divider
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
TripAdvisor
My XO Adventures Operates Tours on Pine Ridge Reservation Authorized by the Oglala Sioux Tribe
Department of Revenue, Permit Number 23-BL1082
FLA Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST41847 ​| Privacy Policy | © COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
My XO Adventures, LLC operates under a special use permit on the Black Hills National Forest
  • HOME
  • Discover the Black Hills
  • Attractions
    • Crazy Horse Memorial
    • Mount Rushmore National Memorial
    • Needles Highway
    • Sylvan Lake
    • Badlands National Park
    • Custer State Park
    • Black Elk Wilderness Area
    • Native American Arts and Culture
    • Wildlife of the Black Hills
    • Spearfish Canyon
    • Restaurants Near Badlands National Park
    • Best Views In The Black Hills
    • The Best Dining in the Black Hills
    • Breweries in the Black Hills
    • Weather of the Black Hills
    • Family Fun in The Black Hills
    • Black Hills Culture
    • Badlands National Park Pictures and Photos
    • Movies Made in Badlands National Park
    • The Best Views in Badlands National Park
    • Images of Badlands National Park
  • FAQ's
    • General Questions
    • Custer State Park FAQ's
    • Badlands National Park FAQ's
  • Contact Us
  • MORE
    • Employment
    • Store
    • Land Acknowledgement
    • Notorious U.S. Army Figures
    • Notable Lakota Figures
    • Legends And Bandits of the Black Hills and Badlands >
      • Story of Lame Johnny
    • Metals, Gems, Rocks and Minerals of the Black Hills and Badlands
    • The Story of Calamity Jane
    • Blog
    • About Us
    • Corporate Responsibility