It is on the northern edge of the county, bordered to the north by Hanson County. It is on high ground on the east side of the James River. It is 24 miles (39 km) north-northwest of Olivet, the county seat, and 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Parkston. New Elm Spring Colony is 3 miles (5 km) to the west, across the James River.
It began as a Hutterite colony in 1876. In 1982 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Historic Hutterite Colonies Thematic Resource, and included six contributing buildings over 8 acres (3.2 ha), including the Good Samaritan Home.[4][7]