Since we already had been to the geographic center of the US
which was in South Dakota, we decided to check out the geographic center of
North America, which is in North Dakota. Well, it turned out to be a bit more challenging
than we first suspected. According to the USGS it lies about at the
intersection of 1st Street West and Lakota Avenue North in Center
North Dakota. Sadly, there is no marking whatsoever in the town of where the
acknowledged geographic center is. Interestingly, the name Center was given to
the town in 1902, not because the USGS had proclaimed it the geographic center
of North America, but because it was roughly in the dead center of the state of
North Dakota.
While exploring town, we discovered this interesting
monument dedicated to Hazel Miner. The monument is just that, a monument,
although it has the appearance of a tombstone, which it is not. Hazel Miner was a 15-year-old from Center who got
lost in a blizzard on March 15, 1920, along with her younger brother and
sister, on her way home from school. As night fell she lay on top of them,
saving their lives while sacrificing her own. The monument is a dedication to
her bravery.
So, there are two
other alleged geographic centers of North America, and we decided we needed to
check them out. One was in Hanson’s Bar in Robinson North Dakota. Bill Bender
was the mayor of Robinson in the 1960’s, when the town of Rugby North Dakota about
85 miles North and near the Canadian border had made claim to that distinction.
Bender decided that with the melting of the polar ice caps the geographic
center was logically moving South, so he filed for and was awarded a trademark
as the geographic center of North America.
As is often true
in a town with a population of 37, Bender also owned the only bar in town,
Hanson’s Bar. Interestingly enough, when they determined where the actual
geographic center of North America really was, it was pretty much in the center
of Bender’s (or should I say Hanson’s) Bar. Man, how lucky can a guy get! Of
course, Hanson was clever enough to send in a copyright application for the
name “Geographic center of North America” and was granted it. Lucky and smart!
The other alleged, but inaccurate, geographic center of
North America is in Rugby North Dakota. The town of Rugby invested some money
in actually building a cairn on the corner they claimed was the spot. They had
some issues develop when Hanson was able to get a copyright on the name, but
fortunately for them, a copyright has a term, Hanson died in the meantime, so
nobody was able to get the copyright renewed. Maybe not so lucky after all.
Talk to you soon!
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