Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Lawrence County, South Dakota

Galena

Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Galena

Galena (also Galena City) is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It is often considered to be a ghost town, although a few families still live in the area.

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

USGS topographic map around Galena
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 Galena

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 Galena

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Galena": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Galena, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q15221299.
  4. USGS GNIS 1265226.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).