USGS
Bench Mark
"DW 4865"

ca. 1898

Jerry Penry
May 13, 2011

Located near the historic community of Mystic, South Dakota, this bench mark is a 1-inch diameter copper bolt set into the top of a rock ledge. Mystic was once a railroad town on the Burlington Railroad between Hill City and Deadwood. It was also the west end of the Rapid City, Black Hills & Western Railroad coming from Rapid City. Today little remains of the town which was located approximately four miles west of Silver City. These types of bench marks are tough to find since they often blend in with the surroundings. The scribing on the rock wall was not noticed until later examining the photographs. Recovered by Kurt Luebke and Jerry Penry.

The rock ledge along Castle Creek where the copper bolt is located.

The arrow points to the copper bolt bench mark.

The pine needles and lichen moss add to the difficulty to finding the marker.

Top of the copper bolt.

Top of the copper bolt after slightly cleaning it.

Scribing on the rock wall left by the early surveyors to mark the location.

The wall scribing made more visible.

Location as shown on the original USGS "Deadwood" quad sheet.

Mystic - July 4, 1910.

Other Deadwood Datum Bench Marks

© Jerry Penry 2011