Odakota Mountain

Odakota Mountain is a mountain in western Pennington County, South Dakota, about 9 miles (14 km) west of Hill City. It is the 2nd highest point in the Black Hills and in South Dakota.

Odakota Mountain
Odakota Mountain Location in South Dakota
Highest point
Elevation	7,198 ft (2,194 m) [1][notes 1]
Coordinates	43°55′25″N 103°45′16″W [2]
Geography
Location	Pennington County, South Dakota, US
Parent range	Black Hills

Until 1969, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names listed no name for this peak, though the Black Hills National Forest supervisor stated its name was Murphy Mountain. At that time, Evelyn Loretta Bradfelt bought a ranch near the mountain and petitioned the Board on Geographic Names to name it Odakota Mountain. She believed this word was an indigenous word meaning "establishment of peace". Professor Harvey Markowitz verified "Odakota" is a Dakota variant of Lakota words "olakota" and "wolakota", which carry the meaning of "friendship" or "alliance" or "peaceful relationship".[1]

In May 2019, a professional surveyor found the mountain's highest point to be 7,197.70 feet above sea level on the North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88) by taking precise GNSS measurements. The highest point and surrounding area is a flat area in the trees a short distance west of an outcropping of limestone which is slightly lower. A bench mark disk was set in concrete with a sign indicating the highest point.[3][4]