Novak, South Dakota Cindell Spur | |
|---|---|
  Novak Location in the U.S. state of South Dakota | |
| Coordinates:44°12′59″N103°33′07″W / 44.2163745°N 103.5518578°W /44.2163745; -103.5518578[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Lawrence |
| Elevation | 4,898 ft (1,493 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
• Total | 3 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Novak, also known asCindell Spur, is aghost town inLawrence County,South Dakota, United States. It was an earlymining camp.
Novak was founded next toGreenwood, as the latter began to decline, in the early 1900s. Investors in theSafe Investment Mine and Mill settled in Novak. Safe Investment grew to have a bad reputation, as investors realized that they were actually losing money. In 1903 and 1904, the Novak mine began to develop. By 1906, they had paid off their debt. As the mining company grew, so did the town. In 1907, there were nosaloons or dance houses.Gambling occasionally went on in theboarding house.[2] TheBlack Hills & Fort Pierre Railroad built a branch to the town.[3] There were three houses built by the mining company and several othercabins, and a school that served six students. Novak used the cemetery in Greenwood instead of building its own. A nearby creek was used for water.[2]
The mine eventually ran its course and was no longer profitable. After the mining operations shut down, most of the residents left Novak. The school closed and the remaining children traveled to Benchmark for school. Until about the 1980s, Novak had two permanently occupied houses, but soon after that, the remaining residents either died or left, and Novak was officially abandoned.[2] In 1974, the only remains of the town were two buildings and a large meadow.[3]
Novak is located in the northernBlack Hills inLawrence County,. Founded on the bank of Boxelder Creek, it is located along what is today Nemo Road. It is 2.5 miles away from Benchmark[2] and three miles northwest ofNemo.
Municipalities and communities ofLawrence County, South Dakota,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Township | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||