Old Jail In Scenic

Scenic is an unincorporated community in Pennington County about 50 miles east of Rapid City. It is near the Badlands National Park and one of the entrances into the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. During the 21st century it hit a decline and was eventually sold in 2011 to the Iglesia ni Cristo - an independent Christian denomination based in the Philippines. They bought the property for almost 800,000 and it included the Saloon, a dance hall, museum, bunkhouse, post office, and 2 stores. The last owner - Twila Merrill, the famed rodeo legend, owned the 12 acre town and 34 acres of property surrounding it, but had to sell due to health issues. As of yet, little has been done to the town since the sell, and it remains a ghost town with a few subjects still living in the town and area.

There are a couple of buildings you can access including the jail, and jail cells on the main strip. Just walking around the town gives you great photo opportunities, and most of the buildings are abandoned. The hour we were there, we only saw one woman at the post office in town which is still open. You do still need to be careful of the traffic that runs through the town to other destinations which at times seemed like a lot.

To get to Scenic travel east on E Highway 44 until you see the signs for Scenic and turn there. The town is not far from the highway.