Dowling
Ghost town · Haakon County, South Dakota

Dowling is a ghost town in Haakon County, South Dakota. It is the only former community in Haakon County recorded on the federal names register, out of 99 across South Dakota.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Dowling as a historical populated place on the Post Ranch topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 44.3336° N, 101.9846° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Post Ranch |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 2,656 ft |
| Nearest living town | Bridger, SD |
| Distance to it | 14.8 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1260959 |
| Coordinates | 44.33360, -101.98460 |
What's there now
Dowling is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Bridger, SD (population 72), about 14.8 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 2,656 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Pedroghost town · Pennington County · 8.9 mi
- Avanceghost town · Meade County · 42.5 mi
- Bunkerghost town · Stanley County · 44.2 mi
- Phebaghost town · Stanley County · 44.3 mi
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.