6 Of The Most Eccentric Towns In South Dakota

"What do corn murals, spinning art spheres, and prehistoric swimming pools have in common? They all belong to South Dakota’s oddest small towns. Bounded by North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana, this Midwestern state stretches from wide-open plains to the rocky Black Hills. While much of its early growth came from gold mining, bison trails, and rail line stops, some towns took the road less traveled. Today, a few towns in South Dakota take pride in embracing their oddity, blending outlaw legends and Ice Age discoveries alongside roadside eccentricity as part of daily life. These are not ghost towns or empty dots on a map. These towns are historic, and very much alive. Pack up your belongings, South Dakota’s oddest towns await.

Deadwood

Gunfights still echo through town, but on a specific schedule. Deadwood transforms its violent past into live street performances, where actors stage 1870s shootouts. For reference, the Adams Museum has the actual death chair Wild Bill Hickok sat in during his final poker game. Further up the hill, Mount Moriah Cemetery puts you on the graves of both Hickok and Calamity Jane.

For a more peaceful lesson, visit Tatanka: Story of the Bison, where life-sized bronze sculptures of buffalo line a Lakota cultural center. You can end your day at The Midnight Star, a saloon previously owned by Kevin Costner, or risk your luck at Lil’s local casino. It feels like the 1880s, minus the whiskey poker, although there are still flashing machines."