Record

About Fort Meade

Fort Meade, originally known as Camp Sturgis and later Camp Ruhlen, is a former United States Army post located just east of Sturgis, South Dakota, United States. The fort was active from 1878 to 1944; the cantonment is currently home to a Veterans Health Administration hospital and South Dakota Army National Guard training facilities.
From Wikipedia, "Fort Meade (South Dakota)", CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

USGS topographic map around Fort Meade — 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 Fort Meade

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.

1893 Rapid sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1898 Rapid sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1903 Rapid sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
1953 Fort Meade sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
1953 Rapid City sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
1957 Rapid City sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directions Apple Maps OpenStreetMap

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 Fort Meade

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

Crook City8.3 mi W · Lawrence
Whitewood9.0 mi NW · Lawrence
Galena9.9 mi SW · Lawrence
Deadwood12.4 mi W · Lawrence
Big Bottom12.4 mi N · Meade
Roubaix13.4 mi SW · Lawrence
Greenwood13.8 mi S · Lawrence
Novak13.9 mi S · Lawrence

Sources

ghosttowns.com, "Fort Meade": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
Wikipedia, "Fort Meade (South Dakota)": coordinates and summary.
Wikidata Q5471661.
USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).