Ghost Towns: Mystic, South Dakota

Ghost Towns is a new category for the Rural Resurrection website. There’s an old saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is important to learn from these ghost towns to help us avoid our communities becoming one as well. However, some of the stories in this category are just interesting tales to read.

What better way to start a category about ghost towns than a town called Mystic? Just like California, the Black Hills of South Dakota has a number of ghost towns that hearken back to back to the days of a gold rush.

Abandoned grainery, By Jim LaPeer – Jim& Alice’s Travel Blog

Founding and Growth of Mystic

In 1874 George Armstrong Custer’s Black Hills Expedition explored a valley, carved out by what they named Castle Creek, almost due west of Rapid City. The following summer geologists Walter Jenney and Henry Newton discovered gold in Castle Creek, sparking a rush along the length of the creek. Soon a camp sprouted up along the creek that was named Sitting Bull.

Sitting Bull would continue to grow, reaching 100 residents by 1879. Eventually, the lure of gold waned for panhandlers in Mystic as larger deposits were found elsewhere in the Black Hills. But the mining of other minerals kept the camp active, drawing the interest of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad who built the first railroad into the Black Hills. In 1885 a post office was constructed and the camp was renamed the town of ‘Mystic’.

With the arrival of the railroad to transport extracted minerals out of the valley, mining operations continued to grow. This included a number of cutting-edge mining operations over the years. In 1900 a group of investors from Chicago built the Mystic Reduction Mill. This mine would utilize the relatively new electro-cyanide process. Through the use of electrolysis, the investors were hoping to extract gold from ore with greater speed and efficiency. But the $1 million investment never worked as planned and would eventually be demolished. That didn’t stop the use of new technology and techniques. By 1909 Mystic had the first electric placer-mining dredge working in the Black Hills. But it too failed to meet expectations and was soon shipped out.

Growth continued and in 1906 the Dakota, Wyoming & Missouri laid a new set of tracks (Crouch Line) through the valley. A sawmill was constructed in 1918 where the Mystic Reduction Mill once sat. In 1930 the McCahan Memorial Chapel was constructed, built with wood from the nearby sawmill.

Hard Times

Unfortunately, mining operations eventually moved out of the area. The sawmill became the main economic driver. But the sawmill couldn’t even hold up the community as the nearby woods became over-harvested. The sawmill would eventually close in 1952 and the post office would follow in 1954.

By then Crouch Line had already ceased operations to Mystic in July 1947. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad continued to carry freight through the area until 1983, but Mystic was no longer a stop. There was no need, the community had shriveled up.

Mystic’s 14 remaining buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Mystic also serves as the location of Trailhead No. 7 on the 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail which replaced the Burlington Northern (CB&Q) rail line when it was abandoned.

Looking back at Mystic, including the McCahan Memorial Chapel. By Jim LaPeer – Jim & Alice’s Travel Blog

Analysis

Mystic had survived numerous floods, fires that burned down important businesses, the loss of the mining industry, even the Great Depression. Much like many other ghost towns, Mystic did not have a diverse economic base. Everything in the community revolved around mining, and eventually the sawmill.

This was a common fate for a number of the towns that sprouted up in the Black Hills during the gold rush. A rare few would evolve enough to survive until today. Deadwood is probably the best example of this evolution. Despite losing over 23,000 from its 1876 population estimate, Deadwood has successfully pivoted to tourism.

Mining is still a successful industry in other areas of the Black Hills, but any more Tourism is the main economic driver. The scenic views of the Black Hills, combined with a variety of recreational opportunities, and a rich history has drawn tourists to the Black Hills in droves. But Mystic didn’t last long enough to see this latest economic boom.

The loss of Mystic’s economic core was a key factor. However, the community had also lost both rail lines and the roads in and out of Mystic are paved in gravel. Outside of the Mickelson Trail, the transportation infrastructure necessary for a town’s survivability, let alone tourism growth, just isn’t there.

So, while Deadwood survived and thrived with tourism and gambling, the cards were just stacked against Mystic’s survival.

You may know of a ghost town with an interesting history. One that may be a helpful example to other communities, don’t keep it to yourself! Let us know through our contact form.