One of Bell Fourche's claims to fame is that it is the closest
town to the "Center of the Nation". There is a Center of the Nation
visitor center and signs all over the place. So where it the center
of the nation? The answer is: nobody really knows. The designated
spot is 17 miles west of Castle Rock and 20 miles north of Bell
Fourche. This is "conveniently" located 300ft off of an old stretch
of US-85. There are too many variables in determining the exact
center, so the federal government has stopped trying to calculate
it. But if it gives you warm fuzzies you can visit it and count it
as a conquest.
To get to the site, travel north out of Bell Fourche and turn
onto Old Hwy 85 (see coordinates below). This all weather road will
take you the rest of the way.
The center of the nation mark is an orange steel t-post out in a
field visible off the east side of the road. It's on private land,
but I was told by the visitor center that the owner doesn't care if
you go out and look at the mark. The cache is in the right away of
the road and not in the field, so you don't have to trespass
to find the it. Bring your own pencil, this is log only cache.