What the record shows
The federal survey describes the site: Located in the Black Hills, on Ragged Top Mountain, above Spearfish Valley.
Originally named Balmoral after one of the early mines in the area. Founded in the early 1880s and later named for its location on Ragged Top Mountain. The mountain produced abundant ore and soon a bustling town developed. Difficulty in processing and transporting the ore to smelters caused the town to gradually fade. (SD-T17/p135)
Ragged Topappears in the U.S. Geological Survey's place-name archive as a historical populated place — a settlement that once carried a name and no longer does. Our editors are verifying its full story against census records, newspaper archives, and county histories; this record will grow as sources are confirmed.
Before you visit
Unverified sites may sit on private land, and coordinates from historical records can be imprecise. Verify land status and access before traveling. Take photographs, leave nails — removing artifacts from federal land is a crime.
See it in context on the national atlas map.
From the field
The most valuable part of this record is the part only visitors can write.
Stamp your passport
Check in at Ragged Top — GPS-verified visits earn an inked stamp.
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Road conditions, what's still standing, what's gone — your report joins the record.
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