Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Custer County, South Dakota

Dewey

Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Dewey

Dewey is an unincorporated community near the southwest corner of Custer County, South Dakota, United States, less than one mile from the Wyoming border in a prairie region of the Black Hills. There are approximately five or six homes in town.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Dewey, 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 Dewey is

USGS topographic map around Dewey
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

6 historic USGS maps cover Dewey

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 Dewey

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Dewey": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Dewey, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q14709702.
  4. USGS GNIS 1261554.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).