National Register of Historic Places

Geodetic Center of the United States

Osborne, Osborne County, Kansas
Listed
October 8, 1973
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
73000772

About this property

The Meades Ranch Triangulation Station is a survey marker in Osborne County in the state of Kansas in the Midwestern United States. The marker was initially placed in 1891. From 1901, it was the reference location for establishing a system of horizontal measurement in the United States, known as geodetic datum. In 1913, the datum was adopted across all of North America, and the system revised and formalized as the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27). A similar reference for vertical measurement was established in 1929 as the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. The NAD27 was later supplanted by the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83), which was formally adopted by the United States in 1989 and Canada in 1990; the new system moved the reference point to a point in the Earth's core, and the Meades Ranch marker lost its special significance to the geodetic datum system. In 1973, the site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the Geodetic Center of the United States.

Location

Osborne, Osborne County, Kansas
39.22417, -98.54229

Categories

ENGINEERING
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Nearby Historic Sites

East Fork Wolf Creek Pratt Truss Bridge
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5.5 mi
House at 202 West 3rd Street
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Lucas School Gymnasium
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11.4 mi
Garden of Eden
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11.4 mi
Deeble Rock Garden
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11.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Solomon River Raids
1868Indian Wars
5.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Geodetic Center of the United States listed on the National Register?

Geodetic Center of the United States was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 8, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Geodetic Center of the United States?

Geodetic Center of the United States is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Geodetic Center of the United States?

The period of significance for Geodetic Center of the United States is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Geodetic Center of the United States?

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