In the tiny ghost town of Okaton, South Dakota, the wind whispers across the prairie; the feeling of nostalgia hangs in the air. The old, crumbling buildings are charming, the abandoned farm equipment is rusting and decrepit, and the post office still stands, even operating on some days. The old grain elevator has survived a tornado and a movie shoot, and the railroad tracks next to the building are covered in prairie grass.
On its surface, Okaton is exactly what tourists expect and hope to find when they stop at a South Dakota ghost town: A small, prairie community, unpreserved and forgotten in the hustle and bustle of modern life. Situated just yards from I-90, visitors can feel the present day world and an idealized past while simply standings till.
But, if those visiting Okaton choose to research and look a bit closer at the history of the town, they find it isn't what it appears to be on the surface at all.
Okaton is a ghost town, which used to be a ghost town.
South Dakota Ghost Town: The Westlakes in Okaton
Today, the facade of the commercialized ghost town stands across from the hidden, weed-covered railroad tracks and crumbling grain elevator, next to the post office. The words are fading from the front of the assay office and the painted picture of the man looking through the jail-house bars is nearly gone. The knotted posts supporting the overhang above the boardwalk in front of the shops are gnarled and weather-beaten.
But Okaton wasn't always this way. The Westlakes, Robert and Evelyn, owned this tourist ghost town in the 1980s. At the time, the town had 14 people living within, and the ghost town facade consisted of a few painted, well-kept store fronts and a petting zoo. In addition to owning the ghost town, the Westlakes also operated the gas station and a rock shop.
Eventually, however, the Westlakes passed away, and the management of the rock shop and the ghost town fell to Evelyns's cousin and her husband. At some point, they too disappeared, as did many of the other residents within the town.
South Dakota Ghost Town Abandoned
The commercialized ghost town became a literal ghost town — this time, there was no one running the town, no one to bring in a profit, nothing to draw tourists the few hundred yards off the South Dakota interstate.
Except for gas. Today, the gas station that once had a sign above it advertising "Westlakes Ghost Town" has been painted over, and only the words "Ghost Town" remain. Hand-painted signs advertise the operational gas station for miles ahead of the exit. Situated halfway between Murdo, S.D., and Belvidere, S.D., at exit 183, the station draws in many travelers who aren't sure if they will make it to the next station.
And those who stop are in for a pleasant surprise. While pumping gas, visitors can almost hear the original homesteaders whispering across the rolling plains; almost feel their presence in the air. It is easy to let the imagination run wild, creating a picture of what life may have been like for the town’s first settlers.
Origins of Okaton in the 1800s, Becoming a Ghost Town in the 1900s
Originally a railroad and a farming community, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad once sent train cars through the town. At that point, the community was composed of railroad workers and farming homesteaders.
Eventually, the railroad moved west, and those who worked for the railroad went with it. A few homesteaders remained, but the harsh Great Plains winters took a toll on those living in Okaton. Coupled with droughts and the Great Depression, most of the town’s residents were forced to moved to cities to look for work.
What those homesteaders left behind, however, is a historical gem hidden in plain sight, just miles from the interstate, where millions of people fly past it each year. Left today are a few old houses, a closed school, an abandoned grain elevator and train tracks, a gas station and post office and miles and miles of rolling prairie hills. Though there is not much to do in Okaton as far as attractions, it is definitely worth the stop to take the short detour from I-90 and to take a few minutes soaking in the sun, listen to the wind in the grass and absorb a bit of prairie-life history.
Find other attractions in South Dakota:
Visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell
Resources:
Ricker, Kat. Ghost Town Whispers: Okaton, South Dakota, www.mightykat.net. Accessed July 20, 2010.
Weiser, Kathy. South Dakota Legends: Okaton - a Prairie Ghostown. Legendsofamerica.com. Accessed July 20, 2010.
Kristen Nichols - Kristen is a freelance reporter and copywriter covering Olympic and Paralympic sport for Suite101.com. Kristen's love of sport developed ...
