Record

About Vayland

Vayland is an unincorporated community in Hand County, in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
From Wikipedia, "Vayland, South Dakota", CC BY-SA 4.0.

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

USGS topographic map around Vayland — 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

4 historic USGS maps cover Vayland

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.

1950 Vayland sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
1953 Huron sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
1954 Huron sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
1985 Huron sheet, 1:100,000 · 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.

Sources

ghosttowns.com, "Vayland": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
Wikipedia, "Vayland, South Dakota": coordinates and summary.
Wikidata Q23709437.
USGS GNIS 1265706.
USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).