Gayville Ghost Town

Lawrence County, South Dakota44.3708, -103.7600

Can you visit?

Likely private land

Private or unlisted land · Ask the owner first

Nearest town
1.3 miLead, SD
Mild months
May–Oct6 of 12
Next ghost town
0.1 miBlacktail
Illustration of a plains landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Gayville. No free-licensed photo yet.

Gayville is a former settlement in Lawrence County, South Dakota, listed among the ghost towns of South Dakota.

On the map

20 mi40 miRapid CitySpearfishSturgisBelle FourcheSummersetBlackhawkGayville
  • BLM
  • National Forest
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Gayville. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Lead, SD, about 1.3 miles south in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 34 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Blacktail0.1 mi south
  2. Terraville0.6 mi southwest
  3. Lancaster City0.9 mi northwest
  4. Maitland2.8 mi northwest
  5. Flatiron3.1 mi south
  6. Terry3.8 mi southwest
  7. Trojan4.3 mi southwest
  8. Englewood5.2 mi south

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Private or unlisted land

The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°3818Jan3918Feb4725Mar5431Apr6341May7450Jun8257Jul8155Aug7247Sep5735Oct4625Nov3818DecJan: 1.5 inFeb: 1.8 inMar: 2.2 inApr: 3.5 inMay: 4.9 inJun: 3.8 inJul: 3.1 inAug: 2.3 inSep: 2.0 inOct: 3.3 inNov: 1.7 inDec: 1.5 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run May to October, judging by NOAA normals from Lead. Snow is normal from September to May.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Lead station (USC00394834), 1.4 miles away. About 31.6 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationLawrence County, South Dakota
Coordinates44.37080, -103.76000
Also known asGayville, Lawrence County, South Dakota, Gayville, South Dakota, Gayville, SD
SourcesWikidata Q19878201 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Gayville ghost town?

In Lawrence County, South Dakota, at 44.3708, -103.7600. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Lead, SD, about 1.3 miles south in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 34 miles away.

Can you visit Gayville?

Likely private land. The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

When is the best time to visit Gayville?

Mild months here run May to October, judging by NOAA normals from Lead. Snow is normal from September to May.

Are there other ghost towns near Gayville?

Yes. Blacktail (0.1 mi), Terraville (0.6 mi), Lancaster City (0.9 mi), Maitland (2.8 mi).

More ghost towns in South Dakota

All 70 ghost towns in South Dakota · Ghost towns near Rapid City