January 21, 2014 • Page 3 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com One Man Towns interviewed in 2009 for a BBC documentary about the Dirty Thirties. A crew arrived to film the towns' remaining buildings: a hotel, a barn, some houses, a school and church. The town was brought to life in 1906 when the railroad reached the town. The Capa Hotel piped in mineral water from a nearby artesian well and became well known for its mineral bath treatments. The Great Depression greatly contributed to the town's demise. Phil lives in the house his grandparents and parents occupied. He taught school for two decades in the surrounding counties. What motivates a man or a woman to stay in a town long after the other people, and maybe even the buildings, of the past are gone? Perhaps Carlson said it best when he contemplated moving from Trojan: "I could go to Florida or Alabama where I have family, but it's too hot down there," he said. "I'm only satisfied here. As soon as I get to Boulder Canyon I start to feel better. The closer I come to Trojan the better I feel. I'll find a place in the hills not too far away." Some Black Hills tourist promoters began to market Trojan as a ghost town in 1959, ignoring the fact that Alvin Carlson still lived there. Trojan was once a prosperous Black Hills mining town that lost population due to mine consolidations. Most residents moved to Deadwood or Lead to work for Homestake. When Trojan was declared a ghost town, travelers began to stop and take photos. Some even walked into Carlson's house without knocking. "I went down to the Chamber of Commerce and told those people if they didn't stop tellin' folks this was a ghost town that this old ghost was gonna start shootin' a few people," Carlson told a South Dakota Magazine writer in 1999. "They'd come in here with 1200 out of state license plates, walk in, snoop through my stuff and just take it. I come unglued when people take my stuff and that's when I decided to move it back down the road a ways." Yes, in the 1970s, Carlson did just that: he moved the town's buildings to a spot less than a mile away. He and his brother-inlaw used a heavy-duty truck and a cable and dolly system to jack up each structure. Trojan held almost all of Carlson's memories. He went to school there, made friends there, married and worked there. Even without the people who made the memories, Trojan was still his home. But in 1998, Wharf Mining Company purchased the land under Trojan's new town site. At age 74, he was- Cars 1200 1994 Chevy Cavalier, runs great, good first car, $800 or make offer. (605)660-0353, leave message. Cars Buying junk cars, pickups, vans, running or not. Instant quote & free pickup. McLean Auto Salvage. (402)360-0756. n't up to the task of relocating the town a second time. Several other South Dakota towns are oneman or one-house towns. Pat and Wayne Surat are the only residents left in the southeastern South Dakota town of Bijou Hills. It, like Trojan, was once a booming town, home to a bank, newspaper, blacksmith shop, Ford dealership, soda fountain, churches and a grocery store. Unlike the slow decline suffered by most towns, Bijou Hills disappeared a building at a time because an eccentric farmer from nearby Academy bought them and moved them onto his farm. So although the Surats still live in town, the rest of the town has moved except for their house, Wayne's mother's house and a church. Mory Anderson, who will celebrate his 100th birthday on Jan. 16, has lived in Hetland his whole life. He is the only resident of the town and lives across the street from the blacksmith shop he operated with his father. The shop is next door to his birthplace. "I would presume that would say I'm not much of a world traveler," Mory told a South Dakota Magazine writer in 2006. He learned the art of blacksmithing when he was five years old and continued for 75 years. He now spends winters in Brookings, where his kids plan on throwing him a 100th birthday party this January, but looks forward to returning to his home each spring. Philip O'Connor, the last man living in the small town of Capa, was Katie Hunhoff is the editor of South Dakota Magazine, a bi-monthly publication discussing the people and culture of our state. For more information, visit www.SouthDakotaMagazine.com. Missouri Valley Shopper Get more MUSCLE Classifieds for your money with a classified ad! IN PRINT & ONLINE 2005 Sierra 2500HD 4WD crew cab SLT, loaded, 6.6 duramax, Allison 5spd. auto transmission, with snowplow 148,000 miles, asking $24,500/OBO. 1989 Blazer with snowplow, runs & works great, asking $3,350/OBO, Tim (605)665-0688. SHOPPER MISSOURI VALLEY To place your ad, call: Car and truck repairs: Brakes, oil changes, tune ups etc. Call Jesse (605)760-0417. 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