The population, as of the last survey, was forty-six. The big town in the county is Murdo, with 475 people. The total population of the county is 917.

Not much to be had here. I decided to look at some very small South Dakota towns, just to remind ourselves of those little places that never quite got off the ground.

Most of the hallmarks of the big suburban dealerships - the nice sign, the strip of metal that says SERVICE and defines the lot.

 

No showroom windows, though. But that sign! They must be awfully proud of that.

This was something, until it wasn’t.

 

Streetview cameras show it was occupied on the last pass, but that was years ago in the blurry era.

The portal.

 

Standard-issue modern style for the mid-century government embassy.

MGrub can be had:

 

It’s the Casablanca.

The town seems content not to have the usual two-story brick buildings all pressing up against each other. No one even tried.

It’s the newspaper office.

 

 

THE NEWSPAPER OFFICE! They have a paper.

The building on the left seems made for a smaller species of human.

 

The building on the corner may have been a bank. The arch over the door gives it a sense of importance.

 

Well, I was wrong about the two-story buildings. They have one!

 

 

Painted pressed-tin and an over-scaled Buckaroo overhang.

Civic pride from 19 years ago, perhaps repainted with care every few years:

 

 

The bricks make sure it’ll never be known as anything but.

 

 

Does this old sign actually say what I think it says?

 

 

“I’d love to get the tow truck out to you, Mrs. Johnson, but now, you know it’s been bricked up for years.”

 

Dang right Dad drives there every morning for coffee.]

 

 

You know, they could be rival senior organizations. Every hot summer, a zipgun rumble.

Someone makes sure the bunting is fresh and respectable.

 

 

Of course someone does.

Where the bounty of the land ends up, waiting for transport.

 

 

When I was a kid I never thought why they were called elevators, even though that word meant the boxes that went up and down in buildings. I never did. It was just an elevator, the tallest thing in town.