Okaton, South Dakota.
The railroad created Okaton in 1906, and the railroad abandoned the town in 1980. For a time, “out-of-towners” moved to the small community (population 36 in the 2010 Census), and started a series of projects that would turn Okaton into a “ghost town” attraction just a block or so off Interstate 90 a few miles west of Murdo. The project wasn’t successful and the family moved on to bigger and better things.
An Internet search found a match to the building above in a photo published in 2006 referencing the house belonged to someone named “Crazy Bear”, and a further search referenced the obituary of a woman born in Belvedere, SD who lived in the Okaton area. Her nickname was “Crazybear”. A wild assumption on my part tells me that this was her house at some point in her life.
About the photo: As we drove through the town, I put my Samsung S20U to work capturing the old buildings. I processed the image via Lightroom and Luminar AI. It is posted on Flickr, and you can get a better view of the image and see the pertinent metadata there. Just click on the image above.
I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment.
John Steiner
Flare Legend Adventures
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Absolutely great capture!
Thank you! Even in its current condition, that house has character.
Cool find. You captured it well. You did a great job researching it.
Thank you. When I started Cellpic Sunday, the post was simply about the photo. I’ve found it more fun to see what I can find to tell about the subject as well as the photographic details.
I love that shot!
Thank you. Something about that house spoke to me. Maybe it was the spirit of Crazybear.
This is one of those images that tell stories. Great composition and beautiful colors. I love the texture and the foreground you captured.
Thank you. Somehow I believe the spirit of Crazybear helped me compose that image of her home.
[…] Steiner’s CellPic Sunday offers a chance to show off your Cell pictures every Sunday. You can also tell what you did to the […]
Hi John, I love this broken down house, perfect for the spirit of Crazybear, though not CB herself. I’d fear she’d become a spirit sooner than later. It reminds me of my picture of Elda School that is falling down, only this one has color. It looks like it has a For Rent sign on it. LOL.
I like how the windows almost give the house a face. No doubt I could see a Disney animation with some classical music.
I can see that! You ought to send them a picture with your script! 🙂 Instant hit! It has a Halloween ring to it, doesn’t it?
That photo was taken in early October last year. the prairie grass even helps to speak to the theme. >grin<
Yes, it’s perfect. 🙂 the original Little House on the Prairie or a sequel. 🙂
[…] post is part of John Steiner’s Cellpic Sunday Photo […]
How cool to have a knickname like Crazybear. You just know that’d be an interesting person to hang with. I love the house
Indeed!
Crazy Bear is a family name it’s not a person name because I’m related to the Crazy Bears that lived in that house