Merritt
Ghost town · Lawrence County, South Dakota

Merritt is a ghost town in Lawrence County, South Dakota, recorded as human settlement in South Dakota, United States of America. It is one of 25 former communities in Lawrence County on the federal names register. No county in South Dakota has more among the 26 South Dakota counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Merritt as a historical populated place: 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 44.1408° N, 103.5686° W.
Key facts
| Elevation | 5,109 ft |
|---|---|
| Nearest living town | Johnson Siding, SD |
| Distance to it | 7.6 miles |
| Coordinates | 44.14083, -103.56861 |
What's there now
Merritt is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Johnson Siding, SD (population 671), about 7.6 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 5,109 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Canyon Cityghost town · Pennington County · 4.3 mi
- Fairviewghost town · Pennington County · 5 mi
- Greenwoodghost town · Lawrence County · 5.5 mi
- Pactolaghost town · Pennington County · 6.3 mi
- Diamond Cityghost town · Lawrence County · 6.5 mi
- Castletonghost town · Pennington County · 6.8 mi
- Channingghost town · Lawrence County · 7.4 mi
- Gregoryghost town · Lawrence County · 8.6 mi
- Carwyeghost town · Meade County · 9.2 mi
- Goiensghost town · Meade County · 9.5 mi
- Nahantghost town · Lawrence County · 9.6 mi
- Florenceghost town · Pennington County · 10.5 mi
Questions
Where is Merritt?
Merritt is in Lawrence County, South Dakota, at 44.1408, -103.5686.
How many ghost towns are in Lawrence County?
Lawrence County, South Dakota has 25 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
- 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.