45th Parallel Marker
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Vermontish
N 45° 00.012 W 072° 39.932
18T E 683991 N 4985623
Marker identifying the 45th Parallel
Waymark Code: WM400E
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 06/14/2008
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member GEO*Trailblazer 1
Views: 83

In the opinion of one who has toured the 45th (not I), this is "easily the most elaborate marker." To one who lives near here, it represents where the Canadian border would be if not for a cartographic error placing the border at its present and accepted location, a tad over a mile to the north.

Yup, this is where Canada and the US were supposed to meet. Way back in 1772, the surveyors goofed it.

The 45th is commonly described as the midpoint between the Equator and the North Pole. While it is true that latitude between the two is comprised of 90 degrees (making 45 the halfway mark), there's an issue involving solid geometry: Planet Earth is not a sphere. Rather, it is an oblate spheroid. Simply put, the equatorial diameter is greater than the longitudinal diameter, making the true midpoint in distance about 10 miles north of here, just above the village of Sutton, Quebec.

So let's call this the nominal midpoint, and I'll be satisfied that I don't live a mile closer to Canada.

Erected by American Legion Post 12.

Monumentation Type: Dressed stone

Monument Category: other (not included below)

Monument Category (if other): Latitude marker

Accessible to general public: yes

County: Richford, Franklin County, Vermont

Approximate date of monument: 07/01/1986

Monumentation Type (if other): Not listed

Explain Non-Public access: Not listed

Historical significance: Not listed

Monument Website: Not listed

USGS Quad: Not listed

NGS PID: Not listed

Other Coordinates: Not Listed

Other Coordinates details: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
1. A closeup photo of the monument is required.
______
2. A 'distant' photo including the monument in the view is highly recommended. Include the compass direction you faced when you took the picture.
Search for...
Geocaching.com Google Map
Google Maps
MapQuest
Bing Maps
Nearest Waymarks
Nearest U.S. Historic Survey Stones and Monuments
Nearest Geocaches
Create a scavenger hunt using this waymark as the center point
Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
Pistache 911 visited 45th Parallel Marker 08/18/2013 Pistache 911 visited it
Ou_Est_Charly visited 45th Parallel Marker 08/18/2013 Ou_Est_Charly visited it
LadyKarine visited 45th Parallel Marker 08/18/2013 LadyKarine visited it

View all visits/logs