© 2025 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Own A South Dakota Prairie Town For $400,000

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And that brings us to the last word in Business which is no sweat. You too can own a piece of the old American frontier.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

An entire town nestled in the flat prairie lands of South Dakota is up for sale for $400,000. You can own Swett - S, W, E, T, T - Swett, South Dakota.

MONTAGNE: There isn't much to sweat. It's just over six acres of land. It includes a bar, a workshop, three trailers and a single house. Lance Benson is the town's sole owner. He put it on the market last week, according to the Rapid City Journal.

GREENE: Swett has an official population of two, counting Benson and his wife - three if you include their pet Rottweiler, Daisy. That is down significantly from its 1940s peak of 40 people. Back then it even had a post office.

MONTAGNE: Although the town has shrunk a bit, it still has one big selling point - the Swett Tavern. Once described as the kind of place you needed a knife to get into and a chainsaw to get out of, now reportedly it has a more family feel.

GREENE: And it is the only watering hole for a couple miles; a good place to sit down, have a drink and wipe that sweat off your brow. That's the Business News on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm David Greene.

MONTAGNE: And I'm Renee Montagne. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Recent threats to federal funding are challenging the way stations like JPR provide service to small communities in rural parts of the country.
Your one-time or sustaining monthly gift is more important than ever.