The feeling of walking through a place that is now completely abandoned, going by the shells of where life used to be bustling some half a century ago, is one that can easily send chills down your spine. There is an eerie sort of feeling at these places and South Dakota has its own hidden within the state. Take a trip to some of these ghost towns if you’re feeling brave…

1. These spooky abandoned buildings lie not far outside the badlands.
trailscape/Flickr
2. Capa, South Dakota - a town with a population of zero. This is all that is left.
Jerry Huddleston/Flickr
3. Nature is taking over this old gas station in Lily, South Dakota, a town that is on the brink of full abandonment.
lukeibis/Flickr

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4. This building was part of Scenic, South Dakota, a town long since emptied and once put up for sale.
Adam Singer/Flickr
5. Can you believe this once was a store? Now it just sits empty in Virgil, South Dakota, an equally empty town.
Jimmy Emerson/Flickr
6. The exterior of this chilling, shell of a store is covered in skulls... talk about creepy.
Lady Buffalo/Flickr
7. Ardmore, South Dakota has been without any residents for years, and this is the state of the buildings that remain.
MortAuPat/Flickr

At one point, these towns were full of people. Many began in the late 1880s and didn’t last until the turn of the century. Some of them actually thrived until declining in the mid 1900s and had populations up until just half a decade ago, dwindling down to less than 10 before everyone had finally left. Now the remaining buildings are the only reminders of what was.

There are many places and hidden spots in South Dakota that nature is reclaiming for its own; take a look at some more startling pictures of what happens as time passes.

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