Scenic, South Dakota

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Scenic, South Dakota
unincorporated community
Scenic is located in South Dakota
Scenic
Scenic
Location within the state of South Dakota
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United States
State South Dakota
County Pennington
Area
 • Total 134.2 sq mi (347.6 km2)
 • Land 133.9 sq mi (346.9 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation 2,900 ft (884 m)
Population (2011)
 • Total 10
 • Density 0.6/sq mi (0.3/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 57780
Area code(s) 605
FIPS code 46-57820[1]
GNIS feature ID 1268730[2]

Scenic is an unincorporated community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located within Scenic Township, which had a 2010 census population of 58 inhabitants. The community is located adjacent to the Badlands National Park, about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Rapid City,[3] or about one hour by car,[4] along Highway 44.

History

As an economic decline hit the town, Twila Merril acquired more and more of the town property until she owned most of it.[4]

In July 2011, the 12-acre (4.9 ha) town and surrounding area—about 46 acres (19 ha) total—was listed for sale at $799,000. The sale includes the post office (ZIP code 57780), Longhorn Saloon, a dance hall, bunkhouse, museum, and two stores.[3][5][6] It also includes a train depot[6] that is on an abandoned line that was part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and is the subject of a 104-mile (167 km) rails-to-trail project between Rapid City and Kadoka.[7]

In August 2011, a controversial Philippine church called Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) bought the property for nearly $800,000, Pennington County records show.[8][9] The church never disclosed why it acquired the property. In 2014 Daniel Simmons-Ritchie of the Rapid City Journal wrote that Iglesia ni Cristo "has done little with the town since its purchase."[4] Following his expulsion during the 2015 Iglesia Ni Cristo expulsions, Gino Maningas, a INC district officer in Concord, California, said of the purchase "There is a hidden agenda, midwest (sic) just like Texas, is rich in oil and natural resources. It's being rented out for oil exploration." [10]

In April 2015, a Iglesia ni Cristo minister moved to the area and soon afterwards began holding services in Scenic for 10-15 congregants who live nearby.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Got $799,000? You could buy a town in South Dakota, a July 27, 2011 CNN article
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Simmons-Ritchie, Daniel. "Got a spare $400,000? Buy your own town: Swett, South Dakota." Rapid City Journal. Circa June 28/29, 2014. Retrieved on June 30, 2014. "In 2011, the town of Scenic, about an hour southeast of Rapid City, was put on the selling block for $799,000. The town was largely owned by Twila Merril, a woman who slowly acquired the town's property as it fell on hard times.[...]called Iglesia Ni Cristo, which has done little with the town since its purchase. The church has never publicly commented on why it bought the town."
  5. ↑ Small South Dakota Town on Sale for $799,000 from ABC News
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ About The Trail from The West River Trails Coalition
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/filipino-church-buys-scenic-property/article_57d68e24-e7e1-11e0-8a98-001cc4c002e0.html
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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