USC&GS Bench Mark
"M 137" Jerry Penry
Back to USC&GS South Dakota Bench Marks
(South Dakota)
1934
May 16, 2011
At the end of a 209-mile branch line railroad from Norfolk, Nebraska, the small farming community of Wood, South Dakota, first saw a train arrive into its community on October 19, 1929. Five years later, the surveyors from USC&GS made their way west along the railroad establishing "M 137" at this terminal town. The scene would have been memorable with the new depot, railroad buildings, and the Rosebud Grain Company's elevator. By the late 1960's, the railroad retreated after only staying for 40 years, but the bench mark remained. 
Looking southeast toward the grain elevator.
Looking north toward the town of Wood.
Close-up view of the bench mark disk.
Looking east toward the elevator. Ties buried in the ground are a reminder of the railroad that has now been gone from Wood longer than it existed.
The Rosebud Grain Company's elevator at Wood, South Dakota.
USGS 7.5-minute quad sheet showing the town of Wood and Bench Mark "M 137".
© Jerry Penry 2011