9 Most Haunted Places in South Dakota That’ll Sioux You

Ready to find the most haunted places in South Dakota?

This state isn’t just about Mount Rushmore. Whether spirits are rattling chains in old hotels or whispering through historic courthouses, South Dakota’s supernatural scene is wild.

Keep reading for the 9 most haunted places in South Dakota!

Bullock Hotel

Deadwood

Once the proud home of Deadwood’s first sheriff, the Bullock Hotel is now one of the most haunted places in South Dakota. Built in 1895, the hotel still reflects its Wild West roots.

Seth Bullock was Deadwood’s first sheriff, a Wild West legend, and, apparently, not quite ready to hang up his badge. He died in room 211 of the Bullock Hotel in 1919, and since then, many guests and staff members have reported seeing him.

Bullock’s ghost doesn’t aim to scare. In fact, he seems more like an overachieving manager from beyond the grave. 

Hotel workers say when they get too relaxed or start humming, paranormal activity ramps up. Lights flicker, objects move, and shadowy figures appear. Guests report alarm clocks going off when unplugged, TVs turning on by themselves, footsteps in empty hallways, and a long-silent antique clock suddenly going off.

Paranormal hot spots include:

• The second and third floors, where figures appear and vanish
• The restaurant, where plates have shaken and flown
• The basement, which Bullock seems to patrol regularly

Orpheum Theatre 

Sioux Falls

The Orpheum Theatre opened in 1913, but some say it’s been haunted for much longer. Nicknamed “Larry,” this restless spirit has remained through decades of shows, renovations, and daily operations.

Larry made his grand entrance in 1959 when an actor saw a glowing blue light in the balcony and a man waving frantically inside it. 

Since then, he’s been regularly seen backstage.

Signs Larry is near:

• Unexplained cold spots and blasts of icy air
• A persistent feeling of being watched
• Disembodied footsteps after closing time
• Strange blue lights that glow, especially on the balcony
• Disappearing tools and materials

No one knows exactly who Larry was in life. Maybe an early performer or someone attached to the land before the theater was even built. 

Adams House 

Deadwood

The Adams House in Deadwood is one of the most beautifully preserved Victorian homes in the Black Hills and one of the most haunted places in South Dakota. 

Built in 1892 by Harris and Anna Franklin, this Queen Anne-style mansion was modern for its time, with radiant heat, running water, and even telephone service.

Later owned by W.E. Adams, a six-term mayor of Deadwood, the home became known for lavish political parties.

Today, the Adams House is fully restored and open to the public for guided tours.

W.E. Adams lost his entire family in just 48 hours in June 1925. First, his wife Alice succumbed to cancer in California on June 6. The next day, their daughter Helen died in premature labor. Her daughter lived for only a few hours before also dying.

Two years later, Adams remarried. He and his second wife, Mary, lived in the Adams House until his death from a stroke in 1934. After his passing, Mary claimed to hear her late husband’s footsteps upstairs.

Out of love and respect, Mary left the house untouched for the next 50 years. All of the original furnishings remained, preserving the space just as it had been during her husband’s lifetime. 

Locals say the house is haunted and that its weird reputation protects, keeping vandals away and helping preserve the historic home for future generations.

The Black Hills

The Black Hills of South Dakota aren’t just home to towering pines, winding scenic roads, and gold rush legends. 

They’re also alive with ghost stories, whispered warnings, and reports of things that go bump in the forest. 

Here are some of the most haunted places in South Dakota’s Black Hills:

• The Gaslight Restaurant & Saloon: North of Mount Rushmore in the once-booming ghost town of Rockerville, The Gaslight Saloon is home to the friendly spirit of Samuelson Harney. After pieces of his old hotel bar were moved to the Gaslight Saloon, Harney apparently came too. People report seeing a well-dressed, transparent man greeting guests at the door.
• Black Hills Playhouse: This remote theater in the heart of the Black Hills has entertained guests since 1946, but the performances aren’t always limited to the stage. A ghost, believed to be either founder Warren “Doc” Lee or a Depression-era worker, helps actors by laying out costumes before shows..actually, he just moves their stuff around rather unhelpfully. 
• Pactola Lake: Beneath Pactola Lake lies the remains of a mining town swallowed by a man-made reservoir in the 1950s, haunted by the “mad Pactola fisherman,” a ghostly man who appears ice fishing with a grin on his face. Witnesses say his catches never show signs of hook marks, and he vanishes without a trace. Fishermen also report that their lines are violently yanked, or the ice cracks as if something is trying to escape. 
• Alpine Inn: The Alpine Inn, originally built in 1884 for tin mining executives, has earned a reputation for more than its steak dinners and tasty German food. Guests and employees report several spirits, including a woman in an old-fashioned gown who appears in the dining room and the halls.
  • Manifestations include:
  • Tall male figure in miner’s clothes: Described as a tin miner in bib overalls, this spirit has been seen standing at the foot of beds by the inn’s owner and others.
  • Woman in an old-fashioned gown: Frequently seen seated in the dining room or walking the halls, dressed in clothing from a bygone era.
  • Disembodied voices and footsteps: Guests and staff have reported unexplained noises, including whispering and heavy footsteps, especially on the second floor.
  • Photographic orbs: Light anomalies regularly appear in the same spots in photos taken on different cameras, suggesting a consistent paranormal presence.

Wounded Knee Massacre Site

Pine Ridge

The Wounded Knee Massacre Site is one of the most spiritually heavy places in the state.

Located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, this site marks where U.S. troops gunned down hundreds of Lakota men, women, and children in December 1890. 

The Timeline

• On December 15, 1890, U.S. reservation police shot and killed Sitting Bull, on the Standing Rock Reservation during an attempt to arrest him, the action violated treaty-era commitments.
• Just two weeks later, the 7th Cavalry surrounded Chief Big Foot’s band of Lakota Ghost Dancers at Wounded Knee Creek.
• A scuffle over a weapon led to open fire, resulting in the deaths of at least 300 Lakota and 25 U.S. soldiers, many due to friendly fire.
• During a three-day blizzard following the massacre, the bodies of the Lakota were left to freeze.
• Soldiers later stripped the frozen corpses, taking sacred ghost shirts as souvenirs. A sacred ghost shirt is a spiritual garment worn by Native American followers of the Ghost Dance movement in the late 19th century. The shirts were believed to connect the wearer with their ancestors and the spirit world, symbolizing hope, resistance, and cultural survival.
• The Lakota victims were dumped into a single mass grave, now located in the center of the cemetery at Wounded Knee.
• Visitors report a strange stillness, with some experiencing nausea, headaches, or emotional overwhelm.

Today, the ground remains quiet but carries a powerful energy described as unsettling or deeply emotional. 

The cemetery and area marking the mass grave are open to the public; approach with respect.

Hotel Alex Johnson

Rapid City

Since 1928, the Hotel Alex Johnson has welcomed presidents, celebrities, and travelers. This historic hotel in downtown Rapid City is definitely one of the most haunted places in South Dakota. 

• Room 802: has reports of phantom music, the sensation of choking, and pets agitated for no reason.
• Room 812: is linked to the tragic death of a bride who fell, or was pushed, from the window. Guests report the message “help me” written in the fogged-up bathroom mirror.
• Guests and staff have witnessed drawers turning upside down, windows opening on their own, and knocking noises with no clear source.

Manifestations seen at the hotel include:

• Alex Johnson, the hotel’s namesake, is still seen walking the halls.
• A giggling little girl on the eighth floor runs up and down the hallway and knocks on doors.
• The Lady in White, the ghost of the bride who died in Room 812, is now seen wandering the building in her wedding gown.

The Minnehaha County Courthouse 

Sioux Falls

The Old Minnehaha County Courthouse was built in 1890 in the Romanesque Revival style, serving as the county courthouse until 1962, and became a public museum in 1974. 

With its 1893 clock tower rising above the city skyline, the building is known for its historic architecture, a true icon of the town.

Of course, courthouses are filled with intense emotions—trials, sentences, and life-changing decisions. 

Over the years, these energies have left energy behind. 

Manifestations include:

• Water fountains turning off mid-use, then suddenly spraying people in the face
• Lights flickering and ornate ceiling fixtures rattling without reason
• Display items mysteriously moved or rearranged by morning
• A man was seen standing in the upper arches above the clock, where the bell is housed
• A woman was seen waving her arms in distress from the same high windows
• The sound of a woman softly crying when no one is there
• Some have seen an elderly custodian sweeping a courtroom floor, only for him to vanish when approached
• Visitors have rushed to help after hearing someone fall down the stairs, but they find the staircase empty

Fairmont Hotel

Deadwood

The Fairmont Hotel is a Deadwood landmark with a dark past. 

Built in 1895 during Deadwood’s lawless days, it operated above two different saloons as a brothel and boarding house. The building has hosted everything from gamblers and gold miners to tragic deaths and violent outbursts. 

Today, the Fairmont is one of the most haunted places in South Dakota and welcomes paranormal tours. 

Manifestations:

• Jack McCall: the ghost of the man who shot Wild Bill Hickok, has been seen throughout the hotel; guests claim McCall brushes by them, strokes their hair near the bar
• Margaret Broadwater: She jumped from a third-floor window in 1907 is said to open and close doors near the restaurant

Easton Castle

Aberdeen

Easton Castle is a striking yellow-brick mansion surrounded by 20 acres of dense forest on the edge of Aberdeen. 

Built in 1888 by wealthy businessman C.A. Bliss, the Queen Anne-style home once hosted extravagant parties with guests like L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. 

The architecture alone is incredible, but it’s the supernatural stories that help make Easton Castle one of the most haunted places in South Dakota.

Over the years, people have seen:

• The ghost of Mrs. Easton 
• Disembodied footsteps and creaking floorboards late at night
• A shadowy figure that chases people with a knife
• Partygoers from decades past in the halls

The house fell into disrepair after the Eastons died. Today, the castle is privately owned, but the grounds are open for camping. 

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