The Black Hills are arguably one of the most beautiful and serene places in the country, thanks to so much open and untouched space and our charming mountain communities. Since most of the area is like this, there is one place, in particular, that stands out amidst the rolling prairie, which is this South Dakota military facility that was built and left to decay:
Welcome to the Black Hills Ordnance Depot.
VigilanteScout/Wikimedia Commons
Located just south of Edgemont, the Ordnance Depot (also known as the Igloos) was established and built in 1942 as a means to help the Army’s increased ordnance handling needs and - due to its remoteness - featured housing, schools, church, shopping, a movie theater, and more.
Flickr/Tyler Sterkel
During its operation, the Depot housed not only its employees and their families (including a young Tom Brokaw, pictured) but also chemical weapons and - during World War II - Italian prisoners of war.
fourandsixty/Wikimedia Commons
By 1967, the Ordinance Depot was closed and abandoned, leaving hundreds of bunkers and buildings abandoned for decades.
Darlosity/Wikimedia Commons
While this is where many stories end, the Black Hills Ordnance Depot made a genuinely unique comeback, as the land and its abandoned buildings were purchased in 2016 and converted into private doomsday bunkers.
Google/Vivos xPoint Shelter
Billed as being the “world’s largest survival community,” the former Depot is expected to house 5,000 people, as each 2,200-square-foot bunker is designed to comfortably accommodate 10 at a time.
VigilanteScout/Wikimedia Commons
To learn more about both the former Black Hills Ordnance Depot and the current off-grid survival community, please visit Vivos xPoint’s website.
VigilanteScout/Wikimedia Commons
Flickr/Tyler Sterkel
fourandsixty/Wikimedia Commons
Darlosity/Wikimedia Commons
Google/Vivos xPoint Shelter
Do you have a favorite attraction, event, or restaurant that you would like to see featured on Only in South Dakota? Nominate it here! For even more Black Hills attractions, check out these 8 Tiny Towns In South Dakota That Come Alive In The Summertime.
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Address: Edgemont, SD 57735, USA
