South Dakota's Once-Thriving Mining Town Is Now An Abandoned, Ghostly Beauty To Visit

The Black Hills are home to a number of once-thriving mining towns like Lead, an old gold rush town now filled with year-round adventure. But perhaps none is more evocative than Mystic, whose ghostly, abandoned buildings stand as a well-preserved time capsule in the heart of South Dakota's largest forest. In 1875, prospectors found gold in Castle Creek, and a number of people set up the Sitting Bull camp along the creek. By 1879, Sitting Bull had 100 residents, and when a post office was opened in 1885, the camp — now a town — was renamed Mystic (likely after Mystic in Connecticut).

The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad built the first tracks in the Black Hills and created a station at Mystic. The Mystic Reduction Mill was built in 1900, and the town expanded more in 1906 when the Rapid City, Black Hills, and Western Railroad (also known as the Crouch Line) made Mystic its western terminal. The mill was demolished in 1913, but Mystic got a second chance with the construction of a sawmill in 1918. For almost 35 years, the sawmill kept Mystic going, until it shut down in 1952. The railroad lines were discontinued, too, other than freight usage up until the '80s. With the closing of the post office in 1954, Mystic officially became a ghost town.

That doesn't mean it's now faded into historical obscurity, though, as President Calvin Coolidge and his wife Grace once visited it during their historic and influential summer in the Black Hills in 1927. Eager to get some fresh air and get away from White House renovations, President Coolidge went to the Black Hills and spent time at a friend's cabin in Mystic, just weeks before dedicating the Mount Rushmore site. 

These days, you can find 14 abandoned buildings that helped Mystic be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. While there are cabins, sheds, a boardinghouse, and a granary, perhaps the most striking is the McCahan Memorial Chapel. Built in 1930, it was made from timber processed by the town's sawmill and named for the woman from Philadelphia who funded its building. A simple wooden building with yellow trim, a basic wooden cross, and pews, this peaceful chapel stands as a timeless space that has survived almost a century of change. 

The church is sometimes even used for events and weddings, but mostly it stands empty — a ghostly echo of the past, making Mystic rival the haunting atmosphere of Ardmore, one of South Dakota's well-preserved mining ghost towns. There are also other remnants of the town's mining past, like shut-down mine entrances. Besides that, one of the more moving structures within Mystic is its small cemetery with three wooden crosses, which mark the graves of a mother and her two children who died from the influenza in 1919.

Considering its small size, a visit to Mystic won't take the whole day, but it does have access to one of the most popular trails in the Black Hills. A visit to Mystic can combine nature with history if you want to tackle part of the 109-mile George S. Mickelson Trail, whose trailhead number seven is in this town. Running along the old Burlington railroad route completed in 1888, this was South Dakota's first rail-to-trail project, completed in the 1990s after the train was discontinued in the '80s.

This mixed-use trail for bikers, hikers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers is made of crushed limestone and winds through the forest, offering fantastic views of creeks, dramatic rock formations, and tunnels. In fact, the 21.4-mile out-and-back portion from Mystic to Rochford passes through two rock tunnels. If you're in the ghost town mood, it's worth visiting Rochford, another former mining town that's now a ghost town. Rochford has a bit more life in it thanks to its historic saloon and general store. While you can access Rochford via the Mickelson Trail, you can drive there too in about 20 minutes, but note it's on a gravel road. Mystic, too, is located off a gravel road, so drive carefully and use four-wheel drive if possible. 

Mystic is just under an hour from the charming and artsy hub of Rapid City, which also has the closest regional airport, about an hour and 10 minutes away. Since South Dakota currently doesn't have an international airport, the closest major hub is Denver International Airport, which is a six-hour drive away.