Myers City, today called Myersville, is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

in Pennington County,

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

, United States.

Naming

Myers City was named for John Myers, who was a local miner and lumberman.

History

Myers City started out as a mining town near the Cochrane Mine (formerly the Jenny Lind Mine), which was discovered in 1878 by Frank Cochrane. Cochrane sold the claims to the local Alta Lodi Mining Company. The company built a 40- stamp mill in January 1880, but it wasn't operated until the following summer. The mine and mill were connected by a tramway. In 1884, the Alta Lodi shut down for cleaning purposes and repairs, but it was never reopened.Klock, Irma H. ''Yesterday's Gold Camps and Mines in the Northern Black Hills''. First ed. Vol. 1. Lead, SD: Seaton Publishing Company, 1975. 15-16. 1 vols. Print. The mill was later moved to the nearby town of

Lookout A lookout or look-out is a person in charge of the observation of hazards. The term originally comes from a naval background, where lookouts would watch for other ships, land, and various dangers. The term has now passed into wider parlance. ...

. In 1880, the census recorded 103 residents. By 1883, 150 people were living in Myers City, and at some point, the town had about 200 residents. The only preacher to ever give a sermon in a Deadwood bar, Reverend Rumney, is buried in the town cemetery. This sermon was given in Billy Nuttall's #10 saloon. The town never had a post office or any saloons; most of its residents travelled to

Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

or Rochford for drinks or mail. From 1892 to 1917, James Cochran worked 5 claims in the area, running a 16-ton Huntington mill.Parker, Watson, and Hugh K. Lambert. ''Black Hills Ghost Towns''. First ed. Vol. 1. Chicago, IL: The Swallow Press Incorporated, 1974. 141. 1 vols. Print. In 1902, Cochran sold the claims for $25,000, but he soon repossessed the property. From 1931 to 1936, after Cochran's death in 1930, his son-in-law and grandson worked the claims and built a new mill. The last time the area was worked was briefly by a man named Driscoll in 1936. Some buildings are still standing.

Geography

Myers City is located in the

Black Hills The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black ...

of Pennington County, at . It is approximately 2.5 miles southwest of Rochford.

References

{{Pennington County, South Dakota Former populated places in Pennington County, South Dakota Ghost towns in South Dakota