FORK 2 RM 4 (HF1504) - Cowley County, Kansas - U.S. Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

RM 4 is located along the fence line to the east of US 77, about 30 feet south of the station mark. The reference mark is set in a round concrete monument that projects about 2 inches above the ground and sits about 1 foot north of a fiberglass witness post.

The unkept paved road that leads to the east at this mark once led to the 533-7 Titan II missile silo complex, part of the 533rd Strategic Missile Squadron that was based out of McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. The 533rd managed 9 missile silos that were located to the northeast, east, and southeast of Wichita. Construction of the silos began in 1960 and the first missiles became active in 1963; the 533rd would maintain these missiles throughout much of the Cold War. The 533-7 complex near this particular benchmark is of significance as it was the site of a tragic loss of life of two U.S. Air Force service members. On August 24th, 1978, an oxidizer leak from the missile was responsible for the deaths of SSgt Robert Thomas and A1C Erby Hepstall.

Condition: Mark found in good condition Designation: FORK 2 NO 4 Benchmark Agency: National Geodetic Survey Monumentation type: REFERENCE MARK Disk County: Cowley USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Udall Find type: Coordinates and/or to-reach information from the NGS database (or Geocaching's copy of it) were used Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): [Web Link] NGS PID: HF1504 Benchmark Agency (if other): Not listed Monumentation type (if other): Not listed Special category (optional): Not listed Special Category (if other): Not listed Local database's URL (optional): Not listed

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