Bryan County High Point Trip Report
Date: September 17, 2002
Author: Fred Dale
My thanks to the first ascender for helpful site information.
The first 4 points I grouped together on one walk.
From the intersection of combined US Highways 69/75 and US Highway 70 on the west side of Durant, OK,
head west about 3.7 miles on US 70 and turn north onto a rough paved county road that leads to the
communities of first Kiersey, then Silo, which will be about 4 miles up this right angle-afflicted road.
In Silo, look for Texas Street, one of only a few east-west roads in town. Turn left (west). This street
becomes a rough farm access lane just a block or so off the main street. Proceed a half mile to a locked gate.
I found a little turn-around at which I could park on the south side there. Walk west a quarter mile or less,
going uphill now. A faint abandoned road* goes off into the woods northwesterly as indicated on the map.
POINT 1: The tiny first hp was, as map-indicated, fairly easily found amongst two abandoned lanes in open
woods a few hundred yards in. As all these hps had, there was a ground cover of broken sandstone at knoll-top.
(Actually, the poison oak was more impressive at this first hp.)
POINT 2: I walked west, entering a large field with a view of a deer-stand on the opposite woods edge,
toward which I walked. I tangled with a superb vine-like stinging nettle plant, the worst of whose stings to
my legs still itch when touched, now 2 months later. Approaching the woods after 350 yards in the field I
angled off to the northwest a short distance into the woods near the deer-stand, finding the hp within, again
in fairly open woods.
POINTS 3 & 4: [Near the "O" of "BROWN" on the map.] I used a pipeline right-of-way to head back
southeast from this area. (*Another writer has noted that this better-access route can be used from its
inception on Texas Road at a point just west of where I started up the abandoned road to point 1.)
From the vicinity of site elevation 852 (see map), I went east -- the indicated pond is dry and is basically
a rubble-fill berm.
In September, the burr-grass in the large field just east of the "pond" is hellish and tall. But the hill
1/3 mile north is ultimately open-wooded. A stiff barbed-wire fence will be encountered
(not the first on this outing).
It'll take a bit of walking around to make two separate sites out of this elongated ridge.
GPS seemed to at least be consistent with sites which could plausibly be the two highest.
Drive back to "downtown" Silo. Turn north and go just under a mile to the height of land. A quick jaunt to
the top of the hill on the east side of the road gets POINT 5, "BM 876". I found two witness (arrow) brass
disks, but the BM itself seemed buried under downed trees in these easy open woods. Nice hill.
Use the same topo link (immediately below) as for points 1-4 above.
topo chart for first 5 points
POINT 6: It's just a mile and a quarter north to the road point where I turned west a quarter mile
to park along the road.
A new water line was being installed on the north side of the road. There was a posted sign at a lane
going north into the woods, so I entered the woods headed north from a point well to the east, avoiding the
maintained (?) camp west of the hp. There is a sort of false hp to this one. Be sure to go north far enough.
There'll be a final fence at about the summit. Grid both sides.
topo chart for point 6
GPS (NAD 27) - actual and onsite -
point 1: (34° 2.69' N, 96° 29.24' W)
point 2: (34° 2.83' N, 96° 29.46' W)
point 3: (34° 2.86' N, 96° 28.79' W)
point 4: (34° 2.82' N, 96° 28.85' W)
point 6: (34° 4.34' N, 96° 28.98' W)
map-derived coordinates -
point 5: (34° 3' 10" N, 96° 28' 20" W)