Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Pennington County, South Dakota

Pactola

Ghost town in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Pactola

Pactola, also known as Camp Crook, (1875–1950s) is a ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It was an early placer mining town and existed into the early 1950s, when it was submerged under Pactola Lake.

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

USGS topographic map around Pactola
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 Pactola

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 Pactola

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

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Pactola": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Pactola, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q3360305.
  4. USGS GNIS 1267038.
  5. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  6. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).