Geographical Center of North America, Rugby, ND (3)

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Geographical Center of North America, Rugby, ND (3)
Geographical Center of North America, Rugby, ND (3)

Rugby, ND (Pierce County)

In 1931 an employee at the U.S. Geodetic Survey Office -- bored, perhaps, or attempting to justify his employment during the Great Depression -- placed a cardboard cutout of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico on a pencil point. The spot where it evenly balanced was determined to be in Pierce County, North Dakota, roughly 16 miles southwest of the nearest large town, which was Rugby. It could be said, broadly speaking, that it was the center of North America.

The U.S. Geodetic Survey Office had never done anything like this before and, as subsequent events unfolded, it would never do anything like it ever again.

Rugby was delighted. It changed its town seal to an outline of North America with a big dot on Rugby. And in August 1932 the local Boy Scout troop built a 21-foot-tall fieldstone monument next to the biggest crossroads in town, hung with a sign that read, "Geographical Center of North America." Other than a slight shift in position in 1971 to accommodate the widening of US Highway 2, the monument and its sign have stayed the same ever since. Rugby isn't too particular about where, exactly, the center lies -- as long as it's somewhere in Rugby.

America's government mappers have, over the years, protested that they haven't, in fact, officially established any geographical center anywhere -- but it's a futile gesture and Rugby is having none of it. (1)

References (1) Roadside America www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11486

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Taken on: July 12, 2019
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Camera: LG Electronics VS987, f/1.8, 1/2853 sec, 4.4mm, ISO 50 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: LG Electronics VS987
Aperture: f/1.8
Exposure Time: 1/2853 sec
Focal Length: 4.4mm
ISO: 50
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program: Not Defined
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Center-weighted average
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
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