Wikipedia doesn’t really go all out here.

Groton is a city in southeastern Brown County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,458 at the 2010 census. Groton was platted in 1881. The city was named after Groton, Massachusetts. A post office has been in operation at Groton since 1881.

I wonder why I went here. Probably a matchbook.

GO LOCAL SPORTS TEAM

ALSO FARMING

A sign of good times, and hopeful times: Groton would have a bright future!

The rack indicates the town has one of the thinner newspapers ever printed. Or it's one of those giveaway magazines.

A mid-50s bowling alley with the inevitable buckaroo.

Hot Stuff: not Conoco. Pizza.

Hmm: More to Groton than a town of 1500 might suggest.

Note how much you can accomplish with an extra pallet of bricks. Unnecessary, but a contribution to civic life and a source of pride. See? We have people who care about adding some interest to things, too.

I seem to be working my way up the street, backwards. The corner building was probably built before the one you see above.

BROOBERG MERCHANTILE? Yes. Frank Brooberg, Swedish immigrant, big landholder, state senator.

A 1982 obit for Vance Miller indicated that his father, Orion, formed the Miller Mercantile Association in 1905, with his two brothers. They built the Miller Block the same year.

The Mercantile Stand-off, for over a hundred years.

You know it’s not a bank when it has a lot of flower pots.

And I’d be surprised if the dentist was still there.

A face like a droid that pops up to inquire what you want, and has no orders to let you in:

I have to hand it to them: if this is a rehab, it’s totally committed to the job.

Usually the bottom floor’s previous life is recognizable, but here everything was reconfigured to the 60s style. Or, it could be new. Which would be nice.

“New” in the sense of “built after 1925,” that is.

OUMB with ORIGINAL BUCKAROO REVIVAL! They didn’t put this on later! They designed it like this!

The basic building block of every small town main street.

My notes say “Back to the start,” meaning this is the side of the building where we began.

And that is Groton.