Lost Dakota

Lost Dakota is a small portion of land that was left over after the division of the relatively gigantic former Dakota Territory into five other states in the late 19th century.[1]

For the musical group, see Lost Dakotas.

Approximately 11 square miles (28 km2) in size, and a third the size of Manhattan, the parcel was located at the tripoint between the modern states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.[2] The patch of land existed as a remote exclave of the Dakota Territory, 360 miles (580 km) west of the rest of the territory, although it was still an official part of the territory, having been forgotten by the U.S. government—for roughly five years, it was completely forgotten due to faulty maps and surveys.[3][4] Some see it retrospectively as a perfect area for criminals to escape the law; however, there is no evidence that criminals ever sought refuge in the exclave.[4][5] In 1873, it was transferred to Gallatin County, Montana Territory.[6] Lost Dakota is excessively distanced from settlement to this day and completely undeveloped, being without a street, road or even a footpath as of 2010, and is reportedly “plagued” by bears.[7][8]

See also

References
  1. Beyond 50: American States That Might Have Been. NPR. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  2. "These Actual Proposed States Tried To Be In America, But Just Couldn't Make The Cut. | What's Happening?!". Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  3. "THE "LOST" DAKOTA TERRITORY" (PDF). MSU Library.
  4. http://antiqueprintsblog.blogspot.be/2013/06/shaping-trans-mississippi-west-1866-69.html
  5. Forgotten state of Lost Dakota, retrieved 2020-04-21
  6. 17 Stat. 464
  7. Michael J. Trinklein. (2010) Lost States: True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It. Quirk Books. ISBN 1594744106.
  8. "Lost Mines of the Black Hills, Dakota Territory". Oroblanco's New Cabin. 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
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