The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1932-05-06

In 1910 1t was at the point where the parallel
of latitude Of 80 degrees 10 minutes II seconds
N. intersects the meridian Of longitude Sc de-
grees 80 minutes 20 seconds W., and for the first
time in its history was located in a city
Bloomington, Ind From 1900 to 1910 1t moved
z of mile north and $50 miles west. the west
ward movement being nearly three times as
great as from 1890 to 1900 but less than the
westward movement for all previous decades,
except between 1900 and 1910.
In the decade 1910 to 1920 it moved only 9.S
miles-the smallest movement it has ever shown
being only about one-fourth Of the movement
from 1900 to 1910. The center has been in
Indiana for 40 years now and it is probable that
1t will still be in the possession of the HOLSTERS
in 1910, for the historic "banks of the Wabash"
the eastern boundary of Indiana. are still 25
miles away and the center is not likely to go
more than 25 miles westward in the next 10
years.
But If Indiana has a hold on one "center"
which it eventually will have to relinquish, there
Is one state which has another center that it
will never lose That state is Kansas and it has
permanent possession of the geographical center
Of continental United States" For the United
States Coast and Geodetic survey has deter
mined that this center is located at Ogden on
the Fort Riley reservation In Smith county, Kan.
1t is at point which is LOO feet above sea level
.
longitude 9S degrees, 35 minutes, and monu-
ment has been erected there to mark the spot.
How this geographical center was determined
is described by officials of the survey as follows:
"For a land area bounded by true circle the
center Of the circle is the geographic center
also; for an area bounded by square or a
rectangle the intersection of the dagonals Is the
true center; but for an irregular area the GEN.
ter is not so easily found One method of find
to- kl.ol Sas1 -pI-
teal purposes, is to mount map on the area on
a piece Of stiff paper or cardboard and then cut
this paper or cardboard to the exact outline
The point at which this figure will exactly bal
ance on pencil or pin point, if left free to
move, indicates the location of the geographic
center" 1t was by this method that the survey
not only found the geographical center Of the
United States as whole but also that of each
state.
Kansas also has permanent possession of an
other center which is of even more Importance
than its geographic center for it has aptly
been called the hub of the United States" Out
in cow pasture on the Meade ranch in Osborne
county, Kansas, Is a three-foot cube of concrete
In which is set metal plate on which point
is engraved. And this is the dominant point"
the primary station" the "geodetic capital Of
America" the liking pin" Of all United States
map-making and surveying and from 1t is cal
d
the worlds land surface, since both Canada and
Mexico have adopted this point and its sup
porting system as the North American Datum.
1t was established by the United States Coast
and Geodetic survey in 1901 as the initial sta
ton for the vast network Of surveys that was to
be spread not only over the United States but
over the entire continent. 1t was designated as
the primary station" after the coast and
geodetic survey had employed intricate mathe-
NAUTICAL calculations In extending its "triangula-
ton network" across the country and had shifted
the rigid network Of its measurements about
very slight distances until the errors in longi-
tude and latitude of all the various stations
were brought to the least possible quantity. When
the network was "pegged down. the mother
station" established on the Meade ranch
in north central Kansas.
ut would seem from historic and scien-
tifc standpoint" says r. S. Patton acting di-
rector of the coast and geodetic survey that the
Meade ranch triangulation station is worthy of
a monument ct least conspicuous and artistic
as the zero milestone in Washington which
marks the beginning of the Lincoln highway"
C@by Western Newspaper Union.l