The Story
William Lardner and Ed McKay built the first two cabins here in late 1875, right after gold was found in Deadwood Gulch. Formally organized in January 1877 and named for Central City, Colorado, it swelled to about 3,000 people and absorbed camps including Blacktail, Gayville, and Go To Hell Gulch. A flood in 1883 and a fire in 1888 hurt it, milling moved to Lead, and the population fell steadily. Its post office closed in 1971. As of 2020, 93 residents remained — yet it's still a legally incorporated city.
Surprising Facts
→ Central City absorbed several mining camps, including one literally named "Go To Hell Gulch."
→ Its population fell from roughly 3,000 in the 1870s to just 93 by the 2020 census.
→ Despite the "ghost town" label, it's still a legally incorporated South Dakota city.