Geographic center of the 50 states
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In 1959, after Alaska and Hawaii became states, the geographic centerpoint of the nation shifted far to the north and west of Lebanon KS (the centerpoint of the 48 conterminous states). The geo-center is now located on private ranchland in a rural part of Butte County SD. The county seat, Belle Fourche*, is the nearest town, and its proximity to the center is highlighted in much of their promotional literature.
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* Pronounced "bell FOOSH", the name is French for "beautiful forks", referring to the town's location at the confluence of two rivers.
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When I visited the site in 2004, I found a USGS benchmark mounted in a small concrete apron. Based on the benchmark's inscription, I gather the location was determined by a 1962 survey...
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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...but the concrete itself was marked with the date "1959", which is the year this point actually became the geographic center of the US:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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Sticking out of the apron was a metal cylinder, creating a hole about 3 inches in diameter, which I'm told was formerly used for a flagpole. As of 2004, there was no flag -- only a small orange metal fencepost sticking out of the hole:
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Meier, Sep. 2005
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I wonder if that conduit next to the apron provided power to a light that illuminated the flag. Note the black arrow, drawn in by the photographer. Somehow I missed that when I visited, but it is another benchmark, mounted in an even smaller apron:
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Meier, Sep. 2005
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Not sure what the story is there. Meier reports that the arrow on the first benchmark points to the second. One might assume that indicates a correction made after a re-survey, but then it seems odd that both monuments would be dated 1962.
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At the time, far less attention had been given to this site than the one in Kansas. Without directions from the Belle Fourche Chamber, I never would have been able to find it. Even with directions, it still was not easy: the marker is about 30-50 yards off the east side of the road, and was so inconspicuous that one probably would not even notice it if they were not specifically looking for it. I was there in the early morning, so the sun was blinding me somewhat from that direction, and I drove past three times without ever seeing the orange fencepost. I finally saw it only when I got out of the car and began walking along the roadside barbed-wire fence. However, within the next year, a small sign was posted that should make it quite a bit easier (more on that below). I had been told the landowner allows access to interested visitors, but as it turned out that was easier said than done: I did not see any simple way to cross the barbed-wire fence.
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The site itself has its own interesting history. Following is my attempt to piece it together (based partly on info from the Chamber, as well as from my own research, observations, and guesses). Please contact me if you have any corrections, clarifications, or additions:
According to the inscription on the benchmarks, the location was determined by a 1962 survey. At the time, US highway 85 traffic was still running right past the site: |
c. 1959, Gousha
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Unfortunately that map was a few years too early to show the geo-center, but the site is in the same vicinity as the US 85 shield. It appears that the site was formerly more well-interpreted for passersby: reportedly there was a flagpole, and elsewhere on the web the location was described as being "marked by a sign and a rock tower known as sheepherder's monument or Stone Johnnie". The corresponding USGS quad map, dated 1965, shows the site thus:
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c. 1965, USGS "Antelope Butte" 1:24k quadrangle
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Sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, the routing of US 85 through northern Butte County was changed to its present alignment, which comes within only about eight miles of the geo-center:
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c. 2001, Mapquest
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c. 2002, Rand McNally
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On both of those maps, the actual geo-center is in the vicinity of the letter "o" in the word "Geographic". The point-of-interest locations shown on those maps were incorrect -- more on that later -- but for now I want to point out how old US 85 was still shown on both of those maps.
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That was formerly a paved highway, and it is likely that would have remained the case for at least a few years after highway traffic was routed away from that segment. But the old highway was no longer maintained by the state, and it doesn't take long for asphalt to deteriorate -- particularly in climates with the weather extremes of South Dakota. Potholes and cracks would have quickly expanded until it got to the point where the most cost-effective way for the county to maintain that road for the local ranchers who continue to use it would have been to remove the asphalt surface and revert the road back to gravel. So perhaps it was during this time that local officials determined it was becoming less and less likely that people would continue to visit the actual monument. Regardless, at some point a small roadside site was apparently set up along the new US 85, near the junction with SD hwy. 168 (about 30 miles northeast of Belle Fourche, shown on the maps above). An interpretive sign was posted there:
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Franks, July 2006
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Based on its text, I believe that sign was newly-created at that time (as opposed to being transplanted from the location of the monument itself). One might wonder: why was such a remote spot chosen for this marker? Perhaps the intention was to set it up at a point due west of the actual monument.
Later on, the sign was removed -- and presumably with it, the entire roadside pullout (I did not observe any kind of wayside near hwy. 168 when I drove past in 1996). Why? Perhaps the remote location made it an uncontested target for vandals. Or maybe the thought was that more people would actually read the sign if it was in town. At any rate, the sign was instead displayed in front of the Chamber building for a time. By the time of my visit in 2004, the sign was temporarily locked away in storage. But two years later, by the time of the photo above, it was back on display in front of the Belle Fourche visitor center. (Also note the "stone johnnie" in the background of that photo -- that is probably an example of the one that was historically erected at the actual site of the geo-center.)
The maps above serve as examples of the many maps that continue to show a "rest area" on US 85 near hwy. 168, and they indicate that a "Geographic Center of the US Marker" is located there. I cannot say for certain whether or not there is still some kind of roadside pullout, but there was definitely no "marker" there, and that location is not the actual center of the US. In order to see the actual center, here is what one would need to know (based on my visit in 2004):
Later on, the sign was removed -- and presumably with it, the entire roadside pullout (I did not observe any kind of wayside near hwy. 168 when I drove past in 1996). Why? Perhaps the remote location made it an uncontested target for vandals. Or maybe the thought was that more people would actually read the sign if it was in town. At any rate, the sign was instead displayed in front of the Chamber building for a time. By the time of my visit in 2004, the sign was temporarily locked away in storage. But two years later, by the time of the photo above, it was back on display in front of the Belle Fourche visitor center. (Also note the "stone johnnie" in the background of that photo -- that is probably an example of the one that was historically erected at the actual site of the geo-center.)
The maps above serve as examples of the many maps that continue to show a "rest area" on US 85 near hwy. 168, and they indicate that a "Geographic Center of the US Marker" is located there. I cannot say for certain whether or not there is still some kind of roadside pullout, but there was definitely no "marker" there, and that location is not the actual center of the US. In order to see the actual center, here is what one would need to know (based on my visit in 2004):
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Heading north from Belle Fourche on US 85, check your odometer at the junction with US 212 (on the north edge of town). In about 12 miles -- when you see a green sign pointing left to Albion, Sky Ranch, and Camp Crook -- you'll know you are getting close. At about 13.5 miles there was another green sign pointing left to Harding. I assume that's still there, but by 2007 another, more helpful sign had been added for traffic on US 85:
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Ly, June 2007
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Here is what I saw when I made that turn. Though it looked like this sign might not be with us much longer, it was still there in 2007:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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Check your odometer again at that turn: you're going 7.8 miles ahead. The road winds around to the hillcrest in the distance, and then there is a sweeping vista overlooking the Indian Creek valley:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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In the middleground you can see a sheep ranch. Past there, the road climbs out of that valley and then straightens out, heading due north:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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Notice the raised roadbed and the borrow ditches along the shoulders: evidence that historically this road served a grander purpose. On the left side a metal barn is visible -- that is where you'll be at 7.8 miles. Its access road, although gated, provided a convenient place to pull off the road. The geo-center marker is almost directly across from there, on the other side (right side) of the road. Sometime after my visit, someone added a small sign along the roadside, which should help visitors to determine where to look for the orange fencepost:
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Meier, Sep. 2005
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Since that photo, some additional improvements have been made. A second sign was posted near the marker...
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Ly, June 2007
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...and a flag had been attached to the orange post:
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Ly, June 2007
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Heading the opposite direction (south), the Black Hills were hazy in the distance. It was a neat experience visiting this spot -- I did not see anyone else the whole time. The only sound was the wind, and the call of meadowlarks and killdeers:
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Sanderson, Mar. 2004
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Before Alaska and Hawaii were added to the Union, the geographic center of the U.S. was at a point not far from Lebanon KS. The so-called geographic center of the North American continent is near Rugby ND, although the scientific center of North America is near Center ND (more about both sites here).
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Research and/or photo credits: Bill Franks; Kevin Ly; Wolf Meier; Dale Sanderson
Page originally created 2004;
last updated Nov. 3, 2021.
last updated Nov. 3, 2021.
