Argonne near Vilas in Miner County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Argonne

February 23, 2025

1. Argonne Marker

Inscription.

The town of St. Marys was platted by Dr. Louis Gotthelf in 1886. A post-WWI land boom spurred the establishment of new businesses in 1919, with the town becoming a trade center on a Chicago and North Western Railroad line. The name of the town was changed to Argonne in 1920 to honor those who died in the battle of Meuse-Argonne in WWI. In the 1970s, after the Argonne grade school and high school closed and railroad service to the town ended, Argonne became a ghost town.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War, World I. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.

Location. 44° 4.338′ N, 97° 38.465′ W. Marker is near Vilas, South Dakota, in Miner County. It is in Argonne. It can be reached from 229th Street 0.3 miles west of 433rd Avenue (South Dakota Highway 25), on the right when traveling west. The marker is located by a road going northwest from 229th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Howard SD 57349, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark

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Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ghost Town of Argonne (approx. 4½ miles away); Miner County Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.2 miles away); Howard Public Library (approx. 7.2 miles away); Carthage Veterans Memorial (approx. 7.8 miles away); Flour Mill (approx. 7.9 miles away); Coughlin House (approx. 7.9 miles away); Nansen Store (approx. 8.6 miles away); The Crash of the Flying Sioux (approx. 8.7 miles away).

Also see . . . Argonne Ghost Town - Atlas Obscura. (Submitted on February 27, 2025.)

February 23, 2025

2. Argonne Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 27, 2025. This page has been viewed 209 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 27, 2025. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.