Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Butte County, South Dakota

Minnesela

Ghost town in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Minnesela

Minnesela (Lakota: mni šeyéla; "red water") is a ghost town and was the first settlement in and county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States. Minnesela was founded in 1882 and was located three miles southeast of present-day Belle Fourche.

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

USGS topographic map around Minnesela
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

7 historic USGS maps cover Minnesela

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 Minnesela

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

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Minnesela, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q6868103.
  3. USGS GNIS 1173792.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).