Kg0640

[MarkDuster]

I noticied this famous station has only been logged 1 time. If I lived near Kansas I would try this one. Also where's Waldo 75deg 28min 14.52sec

[ArtMan]

Why is it famous?

[+geo_eclectic]

I first noticed the recovery of this mark last year.

 

Meades Ranch recovery

 

I had some e-mail traffic with mllkhuskins about getting a picture online.

He had taken some pictures using film but has not gotten anything posted.

 

Please note that you need permission to get onto the property.

 

From a quick web search =

 

"The North American Datum of 1927 uses the Clarke 1866 spheroid to represent the shape of the earth. The origin of this datum is Meades Ranch in Kansas. Many NAD 1927 control points were calculated from observations taken in the 1800s. These calculations were done manually and in sections over many years. The result of this approach was errors between stations."

[Wild T2]

Photo of a nearby historical marker from the 1950's.

 

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/historic/c&gs/theb1561.htm

 

If you want to visit the origin of the NAD'27 datum you can go to Kansas. You will have a devil of a time visiting the origin of NAD'83. Its at the Earth's mass center.

[+gbod]

Does anyone know why that particular spot was chosen?

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

It was considered the Geographic Center of the U.S. at one time if I remember right.

 

Some one will correct me If I am wrong.

[DaveD]

Station MEADES RANCH is actually about 42 miles south of the Geographic Center of the lower 48 states, which is located near the town of Lebanon, KS. This station was originally set by the Coast & Geodetic Survey in Septemer 1891 as part of the Transcontinental Arc of Triangulation observed by C&GS during 1871 - 1897 generally following the 39 degree parallel. This network was the first connection of the geodetic networks of the east and west coasts. Subsequent to the completion of this network, station MEADES RANCH was selected as the origin for the first national horizontal geodetic datum of the U.S. called the U.S. Standard Datum because it is very nearly in the middle of the country. MEADES RANCH continued as the origin for the subsequent datums North American Datum (1913) and the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27). It was replaced as the origin of the North American Datum of 1983 by the adoption by NGS of Earth-Mass-Center as the datum center.