Benson, New York
26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1907 and the latest in 1997. It stands in Benson town. It lies in ZIP code area 12134. It stands on Hatch Brook. The Survey maps it on the Cathead Mountain quadrangle. It stands 1,165 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1907 to 1997The same ground, surveyed 90 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1907 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 26 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1907 USGS Lake Pleasant quadrangle1:62500, 8 printings
- 1950 USGS Utica quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Lake Pleasant quadrangle1:62500, 6 printings
- 1957 USGS Utica quadrangle1:250000
- 1962 USGS Utica quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1964 USGS Utica quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Utica quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Gloversville quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1990 USGS Three Ponds Mountain quadrangle1:25000, 2 printings
- 1997 USGS Three Ponds Mountain quadrangle1:25000
Fires near this place
39 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 39 fires within 5 miles of Benson between 1995 and 2020, burning about 42 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
| 4 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Fire Department of New York | NA |
| 26 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.8 acres | Fire Department of New York | NA |
| 26 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.5 acres | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 26 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.8 acres | Fire Department of New York | not named |
| 30 August 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | New York Forest Rangers | WOODS LAKE FIRE |
| 3 August 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | New York Forest Rangers | not named |
| 25 August 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | New York Forest Rangers | NOTCH FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Benson: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Feldspar, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crushed Stone Products | Stone, Crushed/Broken, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Tyrell Quarry | Feldspar, Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
6 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Benson in 6 storm reports between 1998 and 2019: 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2019 | Flood | Benson | $1,230,000 | Extensive flooding occurred along the Sacandaga River from Wells to Benson. Route 30 was impassable in several areas with water over the road. Widespread flooding occurred in Wells with water entering some residences, prompting rescues by airboat. The river reached a record crest of 12.26 feet at Hope, and was over major flood stage between 2330EST 31 October and 1515EST 1 November. |
| September 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Benson | $1,500 | no account filed |
| January 2018 | Flood | Benson | - | Water was reported over Route 30 in spots between Wells and Northville due to an ice jam. The road was closed. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Benson | - | Trees were downed in the town of Benson. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Benson | - | A 12 inch diameter tree was downed across Benson Road near Benson. |
| June 2006 | Flood | Benson | - | Law enforcement personnel reported that Route 30 and Stoney Road were closed due to flooding |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Benson | 3.1 miles | 22 | |
| Hope | 4.0 miles | 23 | |
| Maple Grove | 6.6 miles | 23 | |
| Pumpkin Hollow | 6.9 miles | 26 | |
| Blackbridge | 8.5 miles | 26 | |
| Wells | 9.9 miles | 26 | |
| Arietta | 12.7 miles | 24 | |
| Gilmantown | 13.0 miles | 26 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Benson | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q48742341 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 972223. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









