What the record shows
The federal survey describes the site: The geographic coordinates are not precise, but are very close; the community was in the immediate vicinity.
The community apparently existed from at least 1922 through 1926 when a newspaper, The Lightening Flat Flash was published.
Lightning Flatappears in the U.S. Geological Survey's place-name archive as a historical populated place — a settlement that once carried a name and no longer does. Our editors are verifying its full story against census records, newspaper archives, and county histories; this record will grow as sources are confirmed.
Before you visit
Unverified sites may sit on private land, and coordinates from historical records can be imprecise. Verify land status and access before traveling. Take photographs, leave nails — removing artifacts from federal land is a crime.
See it in context on the national atlas map.
From the field
The most valuable part of this record is the part only visitors can write.
Stamp your passport
Check in at Lightning Flat — GPS-verified visits earn an inked stamp.
File a field report
Road conditions, what's still standing, what's gone — your report joins the record.
Add photographs
Credited, dated, and preserved as part of Lightning Flat's permanent record.
No field reports yet — sign in to file the first.