The Story
In 1887 the Pioneer Townsite Company platted the town along Whitewood Creek; it incorporated in 1888. The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad reached it around November 1887 — the first line into the northern Black Hills from the east — and auctioned the first lots on Thanksgiving Day 1887. For about three years Whitewood was the terminus, forcing all traffic bound for Deadwood, Lead, and Belle Fourche to transfer there; nearby Crook City became a ghost town as a result. A 1904 building boom used local sandstone; three of those buildings survive as the NRHP-listed Whitewood Historic District (2007).
Surprising Facts
→ The first lots were sold at public auction on Thanksgiving Day 1887.
→ Whitewood was the end of the rail line for about three years, forcing all Black Hills traffic through town.
→ Neighboring Crook City lost its residents and buildings to Whitewood and became a ghost town.