forums
new posts
donate
UER Store
events
location db
db map
search
members
faq
terms of service
privacy policy
register
login




UER Forum > UE Photography > The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4) (Viewed 520 times)
Aran 


Location: Kansas City
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 1839 likes


Huh. I guess covid made me a trendsetter.

 |  | 
The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4)
< on 10/5/2021 5:57 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Part I: Twin Cities Tomfoolery
Part II: Remembering Vayland

My journey across South Dakota next took me to a small ghost town right off the highway called Okaton. Founded in 1906 as a place for railroad workers to live, Okaton survived until the 1980s when a combination of harsh winters and the railroad tracks falling into disuse slowly drove residents out of the town towards greener pastures.

Around that time a family called the Westlakes tried to turn it into a ghost town-themed tourist attraction with its own general store, petting zoo, rock shop, and other attractions. This attempt to turn Okaton into a ghost town themed attraction only lasted for a few years before Okaton ironically became a real ghost town- despite its proximity to I90, there simply weren't enough people stopping by for the Westlake family to stay in business.

The 2010 census listed 36 residents in 14 households remaining in Okaton, but the vast majority of those lived on farms outside of town. Only a couple of residents still live within town limits today.















We're almost done folks, but not quite yet. Next up, Ardmore.



[last edit 10/5/2021 5:57 AM by Aran - edited 1 times]

"Sorry, I didn't know I'm not supposed to be here," he said, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be there.

mookster 


Location: Oxford, UK
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 2372 likes




 |  | 
Re: The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4)
< Reply # 1 on 10/5/2021 8:24 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
My favourite one so far, that Bronco (or is it an International?) is awesome.




Deserted Finland 


Location: Helsinki, Finland
Total Likes: 87 likes




 |  |  | Deserted Finland
Re: The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4)
< Reply # 2 on 10/5/2021 11:16 AM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
My personal favorites are number 2, 3 and 6. In the first two I admire the way you have managed to capture the light and shadows. The third one is just a beautiful balance between the ruin and the beautiful rural scenery.




Deserted Finland - https://desertedfinland.com/
fr00tCake 


Location: 0.506953, 73.450199
Gender: Male
Total Likes: 218 likes




 |  | 
Re: The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4)
< Reply # 3 on 10/5/2021 12:48 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
Posted by mookster
My favourite one so far, that Bronco (or is it an International?) is awesome.


International Scout II with the steel "Travel Top". Not great on years with those, but I'll take an edumacated guess at 78 or 79. Hard to tell on the drivetrain - they put 4cyl, a couple AMC I-6's, a couple AMC v8's, and Nissan diesels in those years. There is also a SUPER rare Nissan I-6 turbo diesel. Vice Grip Garage did an episode on the rare turbo, firing it up after some 20 years of sitting. Would love to make a project out of one of those one day. VW owns the rights to the Scout name today, and there were rumblings just last month of a potential revival. Unfortunately they said IF they did it, it would be an all-electric vehicle.....

Nice set Aran - I have been enjoying this series. I already had your tour thus far pinned for a future road trip. It's been a nice surprise to get a pre-tour! Also nice to hear you've had generally pleasant exchanges with locals....



[last edit 10/5/2021 12:51 PM by fr00tCake - edited 1 times]

Girlexplorer234 


Location: Altoona, Iowa
Gender: Female
Total Likes: 3 likes




 |  | 
Re: The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4)
< Reply # 4 on 10/5/2021 1:47 PM >
Reply with Quote
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
is this place still there?




Lizzy
UER Forum > UE Photography > The Great Quarantine Ghost Town Hunt: Okaton Ironies (3/4) (Viewed 520 times)


Add a poll to this thread



This thread is in a public category, and can't be made private.



All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire.
To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT
View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield
This page was generated for you in 62 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 737075126 pages have been generated.