| Spokane, South Dakota | |
| Settlement Type: | Ghost town |
| Pushpin Map: | South Dakota |
| Pushpin Label: | Spokane |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the state of South Dakota |
| Coordinates: | 43.8414°N -103.3799°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | South Dakota |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Custer |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1890 |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Elevation Ft: | 4521 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | Spokanite |
| Timezone1: | MST |
| Utc Offset1: | -7 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -6 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | GNIS feature ID[1] [2] |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 1262481 |
Spokane is a ghost town located in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1890, it was a mining camp in the Black Hills until its abandonment in the mid-20th century.
Spokane was named after Spokane, Washington, by a local silver mine.[3]
Spokane was originally intended to be a gold mining town, but the Spokane Mine also produced silver, lead, beryl, copper, mica, hematite, graphite, and zinc. Both the town and mine were founded in 1890.[4] 1927 was one of the town's best years, when the town's profits totaled $144,742. The town turned this money into a school, and several new miners entered the area.[5]
The mine soon began to fail again, and it closed in 1940. By this decade, the town was already largely abandoned. In the 1950s, a few companies unsuccessfully tried to reopen the mine. The mine's buildings eventually burned down, and others that were deemed unsafe were destroyed by the U.S. Forest Service. A watchman remained in the town until the mid-1980s, and after that, the town was officially abandoned.[5]
Spokane was located in the Black Hills in Custer County, east of Custer.[1] The former townsite sits near the three-way junction between Iron Mountain Road, County Road 330, and U.S. Route 16A. Only a few buildings remain, including the barn, watchman's house, school, and remnants of the mine.[4]