OKATON

NAME: Okaton COUNTY: Jackson ROADS: 2WD GRID: 2 CLIMATE: cold, snowy winter; hot, dry summers BEST TIME TO VISIT: Tourist season (summer)

COMMENTS: Based on 1990 census, there were 13 people living in Okaton, South Dakota. The large, abandoned grain elevator still stands along the railroad tracks. At one time, a movie was filmed here, but it was never released. The producers changed the name on the elevator from Okaton Grain Co. to Bingo Grain Co. A small store with gas pumps and souveniers stands across the tracks from the grain elevator. There is a small petting zoo with goats and sheep, too. REMAINS: Grain elevator, several homes, a store

The town began along the Milwaukee Railroad tracks as the line was being pushed west to Rapid City around 1906 or 1907. The harsh climate of the Great Plains drove homesteaders away, especially during the Great Depression. The loss of the railroad in 1980, also contributed to the ghost town. Submitted by: Andrew Shireman

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