Merritt Ghost Town

Lawrence County, South Dakota44.1408, -103.5686

Can you visit?

Likely private land

Private or unlisted land · Ask the owner first

Nearest town
11 miPiedmont, SD
Mild months
May–Oct6 of 12
Elevation
5,110 ft1,556 m
Illustration of a plains landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Merritt. No free-licensed photo yet.

Merritt, in Lawrence County, South Dakota, is a ghost town. It lies at about 5,110 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miRapid CityBox ElderSturgisLeadSummersetBlackhawkMerritt
  • BLM
  • National Forest
  • State
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Merritt. 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 Piedmont, SD, about 11 miles northeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 18 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Silver City3.9 mi south
  2. Novak5.3 mi north
  3. Greenwood5.5 mi north
  4. Mystic5.7 mi southwest
  5. Pactola6.3 mi southeast
  6. Rochford7.6 mi west
  7. Myers City8.8 mi west
  8. Nahant9.6 mi west

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. Another parcel starts within a quarter mile: Black Hills National Forest. Ruins often spread across more than one owner.

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°3611Jan3611Feb4419Mar5026Apr6036May7145Jun7851Jul7849Aug6940Sep5529Oct4520Nov3713DecJan: 0.3 inFeb: 0.6 inMar: 1.1 inApr: 2.3 inMay: 4.3 inJun: 3.5 inJul: 3.1 inAug: 2.4 inSep: 1.6 inOct: 1.6 inNov: 0.5 inDec: 0.4 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 Pactola Dam. Snow is normal from October to May.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Pactola Dam station (USC00396427), 6.9 miles away. About 21.7 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationLawrence County, South Dakota
Coordinates44.14083, -103.56861
Elevation5,110 ft (1,556 m)
Also known asMerritt, South Dakota
SourcesWikidata Q6820325 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Merritt ghost town?

In Lawrence County, South Dakota, at 44.1408, -103.5686. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Piedmont, SD, about 11 miles northeast in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Rapid City, SD, 18 miles away.

Can you visit Merritt?

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. Another parcel starts within a quarter mile: Black Hills National Forest. Ruins often spread across more than one owner.

When is the best time to visit Merritt?

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

Are there other ghost towns near Merritt?

Yes. Silver City (3.9 mi), Novak (5.3 mi), Greenwood (5.5 mi), Mystic (5.7 mi).

More ghost towns in South Dakota

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