Benchmark, South Dakota
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1894 and the latest in 1998. It stands in the South Lawrence unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57759. It stands on Hay Creek. The Survey maps it on the Nemo quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 17 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.
- 1894 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1901 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1916 USGS Deadwood quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1953 USGS Nemo quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1953 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000
- 1998 USGS Nemo quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
97 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 97 fires within 5 miles of Benchmark between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,671 acres in total. 37 started naturally. 5 were 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 37 |
| Debris and open burning | 17 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 13 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Fireworks | 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 2019 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | LOST FIRE |
| 5 September 1995 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | UGLY SNAG |
| 4 September 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | KILLOERN |
| 3 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | DIAMOND DALE |
| 29 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 16 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | WONDERBAR |
| 9 August 1996 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | DALTON |
| 8 August 2016 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | ROUBAIX |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
8 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Benchmark: 4 past producers, 2 occurrences, 1 prospect, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Silver, Gold, Silver, Gold, Lead. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ama Queen Mine | Silver, Gold | Occurrence | Gold, Silver | |
| Calabogia | Silver, Lead | Prospect | ||
| Cf&I Pit | Iron | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Lucky Strike | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | Placer | |
| Lucky Strike | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Safe Investment | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Safe Investment Mine | Gold, Silver | Occurrence | Replacement |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenwood | 0.9 miles | 17 | |
| Novak | 1.5 miles | 17 | |
| Tomahawk | 2.8 miles | 17 | |
| Channing (historical) | 3.4 miles | 17 | |
| Nemo | 4.4 miles | 17 | |
| Roubaix | 5.8 miles | 20 | |
| Brownsville (historical) | 7.1 miles | 20 | |
| Virginia (historical) | 7.9 miles | 20 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1261253. 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.






