Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Lawrence County, South Dakota

Ragged Top

Unincorporated community in South Dakota, United States.

Record

About Ragged Top

Ragged Top (also Balmoral) is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. While the town was once a prosperous mining town, it declined due to miners' inability to transport their ore to smelters.

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

USGS topographic map around Ragged Top
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 Ragged Top

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 Ragged Top

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

Sources

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, "Ragged Top, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
  2. Wikidata Q14709778.
  3. USGS GNIS 1900655.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).