Salem, SD

Salem is McCook County's seat, set at US 81 and SD 38 in the middle of southeastern South Dakota. The town was platted in 1880 where the railroad placed it and took its name from Oliver S. Pendar's Massachusetts hometown; for a time, Melas, Salem backward, helped separate it from another community. The railroad years left a strong imprint: two lines met here, the depot stood at the south end of Main Street, and trains once made the station the town's busiest workplace. The 1934 McCook County Courthouse still brings county government to the center, while McCook Central School serves local K-12 students. Snake Creek runs through town, mostly under culverts after the 1907 flood.