Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Lawrence County, South Dakota

Blacktail

Ghost town in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Blacktail

Blacktail (also known as Black Tail) is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. Blacktail was named for the black-tailed deer spotted by a settler near the town site.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Blacktail, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Blacktail is

USGS topographic map around Blacktail
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

8 historic USGS maps cover Blacktail

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Blacktail

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our South Dakota index.

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Blacktail, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q4923449.
  3. USGS GNIS 1265131.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).