MILE HIGH 2003, Denver, Colorado
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member seventhings
N 39° 44.354 W 104° 59.112
13S E 501268 N 4398815
MILE HIGH 2003, CO, is a survey disk mounted vertically in the face of the 13th step of the west stairway entrance to the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, CO.
Waymark Code: WMCWR
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 05/17/2006
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Shorelander
Views: 114

MILE HIGH 2003, CO, is a survey disk mounted vertically in the face of the 13th step of the west stairway entrance to the Colorado State Capitol building in Denver, CO. It is stamped STATE OF COLORADO 2003 MILE HIGH MARKER 5280 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL NAVD88, and depicts mountains and clouds. Handheld coordinates are N39-44.354 W104-59.112. The “mile high” spot was set originally in 1909 by “Professor Herbert A. Howe”, and marked with a tablet on the face of the 15th step (from the bottom). Over the years, vandals stole four separate “mile high” tablets. So, in 1947, the capitol building superintendent had “ONE MILE ABOVE SEA LEVEL” carved in the face of the 15th step. In 1969, students from Colorado State University determined that the original “mile high” mark was inaccurate. They installed a “geodetic survey plug” (disk) at the corrected location, the face of the 18th step (ONE MILE HIGH 5-12-69). In 2002, “engineers” determined that the new NAVD 88 datum yielded a different location for the “mile high” mark. Personnel from the Professional Land Surveyors of Colorado, Metro State College and the Colorado Department of Transportation worked together to determine a new “mile high” location and, in September, 2003, mounted a survey disk in the face of the 13th step. None of the three “mile high” marks are in either the Geocaching or National Geodetic Survey databases. To reach, go to the west stairway entrance to the Colorado State Capitol building in Civic Center Park at the intersection of Colfax Ave (also known as Business Interstate 70 and US Highway 287) and Sherman Street. Recovery of this station was first logged at the Geocaching datasheet for intersection station DENVER STATE CAPITOL DOME, PID = KK1709
Condition: Mark found in good condition

Designation: 2003 MILE HIGH MARKER

Benchmark Agency: other (not included below)

Benchmark Agency (if other): State of Colorado

Monumentation type: Disk (unspecified type)

County: Denver, CO

USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Englewood, CO

Special category (optional): Not listed

Find type: Found by luck/skill/knowledge

NGS PID: None

Monumentation type (if other): Not listed

Special Category (if other): Not listed

Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): Not listed

Local database's URL (optional): Not listed

Visit Instructions:
  1. A closeup photo of the mark taken by you is required.
  2. A 'distant' photo including the mark in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.
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