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Carlton

Ghost town · Clark County, South Dakota

Carpenter NE quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1973, 1:24,000)
Carpenter NE quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1973, 1:24,000) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Carlton is a ghost town in Clark County, South Dakota. It is one of 9 former communities in Clark County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 3rd among the 26 South Dakota counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Carlton as a historical populated place on the Carpenter NE 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 44.7222° N, 97.8254° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleCarpenter NE
Elevation1,583 ft
Nearest living townClark Colony, SD
Distance to it9 miles
GNIS feature ID1264203
Coordinates44.72219, -97.82537

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What's there now

Carlton is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Clark Colony, SD (population 63), about 9 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,583 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Carlton?

Carlton is in Clark County, South Dakota, at 44.7222, -97.8254.

How many ghost towns are in Clark County?

Clark County, South Dakota has 9 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

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.