White Butte, South Dakota - A Mysterious Roadside Ruin

[@DerpyPossum]

It’s impossible not to imagine places like this in their heyday. The house with fresh paint, a small farming family spending the day outside, fellow townspeople stopping for a chat or a glass of water, a Milwaukee Road freight train roaring past in the background behind a steam locomotive, and a midwest storm in the far distant horizon…

[@Cemi_Mhikku]

The faint flashes of that storm and the distant, quiet burble of associated thunder you can just barely hear from all that ways away if you strain yourself out in the quiet after the train's gone...

[@V4nh4K3ttu]

And now I miss place where I never was.

[@rebinred495]

I appreciate the speeding ticket you took for us, Big respect, Tom.

[@greg2976]

🤣🤣😂😂👍👍

[@davenhla]

I don't know the specifics of this region, but in a lot of the midwest places like this are the end result of farm consolidation. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, if you travel through rural areas you will run across abandoned homesteads all over the place. The farmland was purchased by a neighbor, and then that neighbor had their operation purchased, and pretty soon one farm owns the lands of what used to be 6-10 farms. If the house is in reasonable shape, sometimes the home plot is sold for residential, but there needs to be a demand for even that(work nearby) and for old homes that would need a complete remodel, they are usually just left empty to fall in on themselves, the current owner not haveing the money or even a reason to preserve it. This has been the fate of almost all the classic "red barns" in Wisconsin. Hundreds have collapsed in the last 20 years, maybe thousands. So even if the home is bought and lived in, the owner does not usually have the funds or enough reason to preserve the old barn. Good will and historic importance to the community won;t pay for a $25-$30k roof job, and with our leadership pushing manufacturing overseas for 30 years, the local job the homeowner has won't pay for it either. it is always sad for me to reflect on how farmsteads that ran and were kept up for over a century simply cease to exist and fall to ruin so rapidly because of this.

[@Thomas-wn7cl]

@davwnhla, we will see what the future holds for our metro areas as many of them rely on hyper financialization to function, and, as you noted, have already been deindustrialized. Hyper financialization and deficit spending will only run this country for a limited time, so the trend may be for a reduced population to move back to rural areas that can actually produce a tangible assets. A loss of credit may also limit the financing of existing farms, and perhaps the type of farming in general.

[@tylerhopkins7080]

insightful comment, thanks for sharing

[@BeckGho]

A lot of these small towns were created next to railroads because that was their means to get necessities. Once we switched to trucks these towns didn't have a purpose or jobs so people moved away.

[@Cemi_Mhikku]

And sometimes what people buy them for is the wood. A family did that to my great, great grandad's homestead, which at the time just needed a new set of shingles. That family owned a bar in rural Wisconsin that had a cemetary across the way. That family founded Tombstone Pizza. We don't eat that in my house. No matter how hard up we are.

[@davenhla]

@@Cemi_Mhikku Much of Wisconsin's land is a story of someone that had $200 to buy a huge tract when the population was low 100 years ago, especially in the northern half, and then either the kids became incredibly wealthy off of this as land prices went up or squandered their inheritance. Poor farmers were generally the first on the list, kids that don;t want to farm or can;t invest to renovate sold the land for what nowdays would be little and the ones that had enough to hold it have profited. It takes money to make money has always been the case in the midwest.

[@alaynafoss4229]

I've actually lived at White Butte all my life! The inside of that house is very fascinating, I've never seen it that close before. Supposedly, White Butte used to have a school and a prison too! The prison might be standing somewhere close to my yard, but I'm not 100% sure. There's also so much old farming machinery and such by my house and it's super cool. It's disappointing that not much has been documented though. Great video!!

[@alaynafoss4229]

And as for that house, the last people who lived in it was an older couple who actually lived in it up until they passed away I believe. I'm not sure who they bought it from, but they bought it in bad condition even then.

[@gortbot7748]

Greetings from South Dakota. There's only two fences between Perkins County and the North Pole, and a storm blew one down last week.

[@life_of_riley88]

One of my favorite lines in any song: "There ain't much be between the pole' and South Dakota, barbed wire won't stop the wind, and I won't get nothin here but broke and older, might as well re-up again" -James McMurtry

[@deemorehouse3552]

Yeah, it was ours. Cheers from Nodak.

[@sicofthistoo]

The hole in the floor is the remains of a coal or wood burning furnace. There would have been covered with a grill.

[@St.Linguini_of_Pesto]

Hey, PTE was right! Someone does know about the mystery hole.

[@warrenw2u]

This was an oil furnace and has a grill over it that could be walked on. Very common and we had one up til the 70's.

[@redrooster1908]

I'm surprised he didn't know that.

[@hodwooker5584]

It was a furnace. Could be oil or gas fuel. Very unlikely to have been coal or wood fired. There is no particular reason that he would know what was. After all he isn’t really old enough to have seen one in use.

[@randypotter204]

My grandma had one in her house. It was the only source of heat and ran on natural gas. I don't know if it had a switch or used a thermostat, but the house was freezing cold in the morning and we would get warm by standing on the grate until it got too hot to stand on.

[@Spencer3712]

I’ve always wondered when examining old homesteads like this if anyone who had ever called it home could still be alive. I imagine the child whose wallpaper could be seen may very well be.

[@I_am_a_cat_]

Man.. I love the vibe from places like this so much. Idk why. Ruins out in the middle of no where just make me feel at peace. Maybe it's because it makes me think of the struggles of people of the past, and makes me realize that no matter how hard life gets, it'll all be forgotten someday.

[@sallycollins2445]

If it were in the city, tear down and build over it. Out west, the ruins are left for time to erase. I prefer the latter…

[@johannlaufenberg9798]

As many have said, the hole is for a furnace but specifically a pipeless gravity furnace the top of which can be seen in the dark. Very popular in the early 20th century for heating small homes. Best of luck on your Travels!

[@knurlgnar24]

Replying to help boost this comment. This is indeed what is left of a gravity furnace heat distributing system. Only a few decades ago many of these were still in use, long ago converted to natural gas. Not terribly efficient but nothing is more reliable, and why replace something that worked just fine for nearly 100 years? I don't see many in use anymore today and that's probably a good thing.

[@johannlaufenberg9798]

@@knurlgnar24 It would be nice to have a new furnace but I actually have an old (kinda) gravity furnace. It had a blower attached to it but it still works the old way when the power goes out. It was converted to natural gas a some point as well.

[@empressmeowmeow9581]

Love it. That grain elevator and barn are begging to be captured in an oil painting. What a great landscape that would be to hang in my house.

[@kellyblack4897]

Not to mention the wood in the collapsed buildings is like salvage gold. Right now here in East Texas old barn wood that is authentic, and in good shape is running for about $20-50 a foot.

[@sunnyscott4876]

If you're a painter, take a screen shot of the scene you like and then paint it. I think that would be awesome.

[@empressmeowmeow9581]

I do paint but more impressionist. That view calls for realism. Tom, maybe selling photo prints of some of the places you visit would be a possibility?

[@merangoo8372]

@@kellyblack4897 ferb, i know what we’re doing today!

[@merangoo8372]

Jokes aside, someday I’d kind to find a ruin like this and honor it by taking just enough wood to make a guitar body

[@roadweary5252]

This is why I am a Patreon supporter. Well written, shot and edited. Always a great production, Tom and Emma!

[@CatherinePlantagenet]

The speeding ticket and attached car story goes along the lines of you can’t make this up. Yeah, it sucks when it happens but later on you’ll be happy to have a story to tell. Appreciate the work you do. Keep it up 👍!

[@therick4964]

I'm guessing the hole had a furnace under it and it would heat the house. I've seen these before in old house's I've worked in. They where covered up and not used anymore. Thank you very much for videos they are very interesting and informative, keep up the great work!!!

[@jamey48]

I was thinking the same, grandma had one, it had a metal grate covering it. All the heat in the house came out at that spot. No ducts. We had to jump over it as kids so it didn't burn our feet.

[@oliverharris7366]

It's a way of heating the hole house the idea come from 17th century monasteries. of course it would have been much larger then.

[@Jadegreif]

for the Speeding Ticket

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Haha thank you so much!

[@josieann5031]

Thank you for researching the history of the places you visit.

[@nelsonnoname001]

that ambiance is uneasy and haunting, not scarry, but kinda sad and airy

[@sujimtangerines]

I love the way you narrate your videos, the blend of research & exploration, adding in historical photos & current footage. Makes me wish I'd filmed all the out of the way places I & my family have visited over the past 15+ years; some we planned & others we stumbled over. The original goal, to teach the kid what was missing in his school curriculum (basing the trips on clusters of NPS properties), grew to be more fun & impromptu when we added side stops at abandoned mines, Ghost towns, Guinness World Record attractions & locally suggested oddities. Hoping to get to Alaska, our 50th state to visit, next summer. Kid outgrew the Jr Ranger program, but those badges are the last few he'll need to have them all. If I'm lucky I can find places that tie back into his schooling, but by then he'll be a Jr in uni and might not appreciate it! Anyway, it's short & interesting vids like this that make me a bit nostalgic, but more grateful that I've been lucky enough to travel as we have. Thank you, be safe & happy travels! 💜

[@deemorehouse3552]

I work as a ranch hand, and we were doing some custom rye harvesting for my bosses friend in Bison over the summer, and the amount of times I passed straight through there and didn't even realize it..... As soon as I saw the sign though, I was like 'I recognize that, it's in between Hettinger ND and Lemmon SD, and that White Butte Road goes straight to Bison. Thanks for this, next time I go through there I'm gonna have to stop a minute.

[@beartraptree]

Wow, look at those gorgeous Alphonse Mucha bathroom tiles. What a beautiful old home.

[@veronicaroach3667]

I'm a Brit & when we first came to the US in 1979 we rented a house in CT that looked much like this old wooden house - in far better shape, not dilapidated, just old,, but the inside & the whole mood of the place was so much iike this - it was sitting on a hilltop by itself in an acre of lawns & lots of old shrubs - the lilac here reminded me of that place ! We adored that house & all its' old fashioned hominess - so comforting to come home to ! We knew there were generaions of folks who had grown up there & it felt so welcoming - had one of those wide white cookers which I still miss - even 30+ years later ! We were there 3 very happy years, have moved several times since & I (divorced long since) now have an A-frame house of my own in the northern NJ 'burbs' - but of all the places we have lived in the US - that was the one I loved the most ! So sad to see this house now deserted - but you can feel the old history - thank you for your video !

[@CPorter]

Hey I just discovered the story of a maritime disaster in New York City; the S.S. Observation, which exploded and sank in September of 1932. It seems few people know about it, and I'm finding a lot of newspaper info out about it including many pictures too. This seems like it'd be worth your time to look into. Perhaps even a video.

[@nordisk1874]

Beautiful love these ghost town videos.

[@Rennc10]

What a fantastic video! How is it that it makes me feel familiarity with somewhere on the other side of the world I've never been? Thankyou

[@curtisanderson1830]

I'll add that I live in Eagle Butte, SD abd Pukwana, SD. I did a lot of pheasant hunting around Miller, SD. Love it out there😊😊😊

[@rockstarofredondo]

Been all over the Dakotas and places like this are literally everywhere. 1800s schoolhouses, homes, and other buildings just rotting into the ground.

[@brianstabile165]

To Tom I’m from Michigan and find the content by your type of KZbin channel lacking in the Great Lake shipwrecks area and would love if you made a even ten minute video in between huge projects about a relatively unknown shipwreck up here or a retelling of the Fitz Bradley or Morel. It could take down some nasty myths about these wrecks or open up discussion for parts we really don’t know much about. From a fan

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Thank you, Brian! I actually have a handful of Great Lakes videos I've shot that I have not yet edited yet, and a few more I'm interested in doing. There will indeed be some soon!

[@miketemple7686]

Nice ad lib! Just amazing how only you can find so much history to a ghost town somewhere in the Dakotas.

[@moregltfirephotography4857]

Thank you for spreading awareness to everyone for these small abandoned towns! I am trying to get a section of my Historical Society dedicated to the many many ghost towns of my county. There were A LOT and they are all either completely gone with no evidence that they were ever there or still a couple remaining residents devoid of any businesses and no longer part of the town name. Instead labeled "- --Township" Not even the residents know the name of the town they live in.

[@Belenus3080]

I have a dream of buying and restoring one of those abandoned houses, while keeping the original character of when it was built. Some of them still have good bones.

[@curtisanderson1830]

I mentioned in your other video about Griffin ND. My grandpa made clain on out in the general area. I also prairie dog hunt just south by Shadehill SD on National Prairie Grass. Love that area.

[@jeffamos9854]

If you like ghost towns visit Burke Idaho. My dad lived there as a child in the 1930s. Used to be big mining area and now abandoned mines. When I was young dad would take me to Burke and show me the foundation of the house he lived in and the old mining structures

[@marremane]

0:35 sick hand break turn dude

[@nonoel7628]

Keep up the great content Tom! Love every video that comes out of your channel!

[@markbattista6857]

Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic work . Not getting around much anymore your videos help me to do that . I always look forward to your production .

[@lilymadelineholland293]

I love the wallpaper in the house. Beautiful 🥰

[@iamrichrocker]

America the beautiful, and this is going to be an expensive trip, besides the gas...great video ..

[@hal_aetus]

On this trip, did you happen to check out Merricourt, ND? I was doing work in that area a few years ago and stumbled upon it. There was only one or two residents and most buildings were reduced to foundations. There were a few houses, the shell of a brick bank building (with vault), and a large Quonset-style community center that was still standing and explorable, but rapidly deteriorating. There was some pretty interesting history online too including a fascinating story about a prize fighter who got mixed up with the law and killed a sheriff.

[@fhwolthuis]

Beautiful and interesting video!

[@waynejones8481]

Very interesting indeed ol chap. Oh and a little reminder, don't forget to look inro resrarching the NS Savannah. Thanks my friend!

[@pamyuhnke8143]

I look forward on seeing you on Nat Geo one day. Love your stories! 💚

[@billkill-co6cb]

Highly highly recommend going to Animus Forks, Sound Democratic Mill, and Gold Mountain Mine. They are all super close to each other near Telliride Colorado and accessible by jeep or ATV. They are very well maintained and have a large amount of old historical machinery. Would love an in-depth video on them

[@ShockinglyBleh]

5:12 I'm curious on when this wallpaper was put up in the bathroom, the art used is from Alfons Mucha, a very famous Czech from the late 19th and early 20th century.

[@PartTimeExplorer]

I was curious about that as well.

[@Lucinda_Jackson]

Art nouveau and Alphonse Mucha’s art was very popular in the 70s. I would say the paper is contemporaneous with the toilet. And the flower power paper in the other rooms.

[@jonzaremba]

Another great video. Thank you.

[@papabear562]

I would love to find, and explore, places like that. I can see it on Google Maps, and it looks like there are a couple of units that are occupied. But to see your videos is like going back in time, and very nostalgic. I love it, and the city of Lemmon looks like it would be nice little down to retire in.

[@MountainCry]

There are still Bennigan's restaurants open? Heck yeah, I'd take a road trip for another Turkey O'Toole sandwich.

[@robertyoung1777]

Great wallpapers and paint color. They speak to a more vibrant culture than we have today. I’m thinking of our mean looking cars with black wheels. Our cars tend to be painted painted white, black or some military green or grey.

[@bobbyadkins885]

New subscriber, I really enjoy your videos, great content and presented very well

[@my2cents945]

the large hole in the floor would be your "central" heat duct. should be right above the furnace.

[@BRIDGETTWC]

Thank you for uploading this video 📹 I love ❤ your videos!

[@bobrenner7213]

The stairway down at 4:06 might have been going down to a storm cellar because of the wicked winds that would blow through there.

[@BTScriviner]

Now I want to hear about the drug running rental car. 😉 Another great video.

[@Blaney12and21]

Intro was fantastic to say the least

[@oso9809]

Love rural SoDak. Keep it coming. Sadly the old place are disappearing fast. We had alot of fun hunting around old homesteads and one never knows what you.might find laying about.

[@johniwan1]

I like your videos. Great subject matter and quality editing, thank you!

[@corey6393]

I've driven by that place several times over the years, as recently as this October. I always wondered about it. The Dakotas are full of amazing places and curious stories.

[@johnsonjkj]

Great video! We actually own part of the land, the green house & 2 barns that you filmed! Very nice tribute to the old town of White Butte!

[@dianemac3768]

Loved this video...........well done!

[@ChrisBeardsley]

I am here to hear stories, experiencing vicariously through your lens. The story within a story from 0:38 - 0:52 in the form of essentially-a-run-on-sentence made me laugh out loud, re-listening a few times. Yes, yes it is another story. Worthy of being told too.

[@tfleu725]

Spent some time in Renner, SD last year. It was a great experience. Toured a family farm from the 1800s… very cool

[@jasonwb6884]

That hole in the floor is for heating. You can see the burner still. Floor heaters used to be pretty common, you still buy them. Looks like it was ran off Propane most likely, so this house hasn't been abandoned a long time. This house probably originally ran off a wood stove or coal furnace maybe.

[@alexlandsberger1423]

That was one of the best parts of my childhood was exploring these sites

[@jamesmccarthy5086]

I know up in the upper peninsula Michigan I think there are ghost towns up there on old highway 2 or somewhere in there and my dad and I visited them a while back and it was really cool to see. U should see if u can find them because that’d be cool

[@BlakeErlenbusch]

The place one the north side of the highway with the foundations belongs to my cousins, at one point when there was a plan in place to put trailer houses out there and rent them out. I don’t know the story on why the plan didn’t go through but would be cool to have had some more people move into the area

[@GrumpyMeow-Meow]

Beautiful filming guys.

[@johnmilonas9143]

Beautiful.

[@talesfromanoldmanpatoneal6372]

Once again young man a great video.... and as always thank you for taking us on the adventure.

[@jackc1186]

Love binge watching your documentaries

[@denistate3697]

Thanks Tom The video was great👍🇨🇵

[@KevinStriker]

4:45 Not gonna lie, your lady spooked me after appearing out of the exposure here.

[@vincentcampbell3138]

Damn! Cool to see you explore my home state! We got a lot of abandoned stuff here.

[@johnbee7729]

That black and white winter photo could be almost any prairie town in the 1970's. They all looked similar - and then the great inland grain terminals sartedto appear and with it went the wooden grain elevator

[@harleyfiore1]

Nice video Tom. I’ve always loved South Dakota and have even dreamed of living there. Love your channel!

[@M1E1R]

Beautiful location.

[@ivanhicks887]

EXCELLENT Video filming and Voice 0ver commentary which is usually not in this type of video

[@junethorndale]

Great video! Lovely to see grain elevators again❤️

[@rancidschannel3206]

Great discovery

[@allenatkins2263]

A drug smuggler AND a explorer? You are truly a Renaissance man!

[@warrenw2u]

The hole in the floor that you referred to was a fuel oil furnace and has a grill over it that could be walked on. Very common and we had one up til the 70's.

[@jerrykozlowski2948]

I have to tell you, i just discovered your channel and i love it! For some reason they way you do your video's really relaxes me. Keep the video's coming please!! One question, where is your accent from? Im from Baltimore and it sounds pretty close! OH and do some Maryland video's when you get a chance!

[@lewsdiod]

Enchanting!

[@chickenpancake1614]

Make a video on the ss brother Johnathan. It was a ship used during the gold rush. Prospectors used it to get to California and other parts of the west. It also spread disease. It shipwrecked when it hit a rock. A general and a surveyor who knew Lincoln died in the wreck. Lots of gold was in the wreck. I think this would make a very good video and it fits in on this channel.

[@endrawes0]

Really enjoy this. Thanks

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

I love the soundtrack!

[@Southern-author]

With a market for antique, naturally aged lumber, I am surprised some of those timbers are still left there.

[@jennfierkrueger8302]

May I recommend a video on the paddle wheel steamer War Eagle witch burned and sank in La Crosse, Wisconsin. BTW good video :)

[@jennfierkrueger8302]

May I also mention that the wreck lies in 15ft of water just off River side park. There is a museum just a walking distance from the wreck. The museum has a very good amount of information on the wreck.

[@cloudchaserify]

Love the ghost town videos, it always makes you wonder about the people that lived there. Please tell me what music you played in the background, it is so pretty. Thank you!

[@paulam408]

I got on google maps & it looks like maybe there are still a few people who reside in this small area. Looked like some newer buildings & mobile homes.

[@cooldude815doesthings14]

As someone who lives in south dakota, I can confirm that there are many abandoned areas

[@porcupinepunch6893]

What areas would you say have a high concentration of abandoned places? I live in Brookings county (on the border with Minnesota) and there aren't a lot of abandoned places to look at around here.

[@cooldude815doesthings14]

I think a lot of abandoned farms around Aberdeen, that place has been in the dumps for years.@@porcupinepunch6893

[@joeyskokowski9405]

OMG can you say Ghosts? I would be scared to even stop let alone explore! Dauntless courage amazing channel I love it

[@zdog90210]

I also hope the car that rubbing compound and turtle wax is still kicking but I imagine that is long turned into something else. Those are the things that really bring me into someone's life because I can imagine the day they bought it and how they just wanted to get their car looking nice

[@rogerb5615]

That town reminds me of the location of "Ghostbusters Afterlife" ... especially that large hole in the floor!

[@YangTheGoddess]

You should go to Spokane Ghost Town in S.D. it's in the Black Hills.

[@svuntekarlberg]

You should totally go to Animas Forks sometime! Not only has it got quite a story behind it, it's also in great condition (for being a ghost-town) and it is relatively accessable (again, for being a ghost-town). It'd be great!

[@MoonwolfeConsulting]

Large hole would have been a "floor furnace." The grid work around that circle would have allowed heat to radiate through the building.

[@alexdenton1073]

Thank You

[@JamesAllmond]

I rode through there about 30 years ago, wasn't quite dead yet, dang...

[@laracraft82]

Fair due Tom dedication to get a a speeding ticket glad all was OK in the end though. Love the video cheers 😀💗

[@sparkplug5481]

Very good

[@Dbomb81]

Wait, I'm guessing your headed to Mandan here where in fact indeed there's a benigans. What were you doing going east on Highway 12? Shoulda come up to Dickinson and hit I-94 duder. 0 Speeding tickets then. I used to be a recruiter for Dickinson State and had Western South Dakota/Eastern Wyoming as my territory. Been through White Butte many a time. 1 town you should visit if you come back to the area is Provo, SD in the very Southwest corner right at the edge of the black hills. The town was a military ammunition storage during WW2 and was once home to Tom Brokaw.

[@Hogger280]

That looks like an in floor gas(propane most likely) furnace; they were common in Montana as well.