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The Pole of Inaccessibility

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(@j-penry)
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A recent trip we made a few weeks ago to the place in North America furthest from a coastline.

http://penryfamily.com/surveying/poleofinaccessibility.html

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 9:33 am
(@nate-the-surveyor)
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Wow. I just cannot think of a response. But, some surveyors think the Section Corner is inaccessible!

N

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 10:13 am
(@norman-oklahoma)
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Interesting. And picturesque.

It seems that the calculation does not consider Lake Superior to be a coastline. Nor the Mississippi River. I wonder where the pole would be if such navigable waterways were considered? Possibly NE Colorado?

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 11:06 am
(@j-penry)
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It appears that the locations used to determine the North American pole were the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Hudson Bay. The article in the Scottish Geographical Journal stated that three locations are used to determine a pole of inaccessibility. I suppose Lake Michigan or Superior are not considered due to the manmade canal that links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The distance from the North American Pole to the nearest coastline is 1030 miles.

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 11:38 am
(@dave-ingram)
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You do find some really cool things to do and places to visit!

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 12:53 pm
(@wayne-g)
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Ask the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald if Lake Superior resembles a big ole' fashioned Nor'Easter. Seems odd they don't consider the Great Lakes in the calc's, some pretty serious shoreline going on there.

Kinda cool link and job you did putting that all together. Thanks.

I thought the geographic center of the US was someplace in Kansas, so does that count (don't tell Mr Cow it doesn't). Also the farthest Eastern point is in Alaska. Also it's cold in Minneysoota, hot in South Carolina, and there are snakes here. The MI state bird is a mosquito, and now is Pump Kin season for Halloween in various other areas.

😛

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 1:48 pm
(@norman-oklahoma)
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> Ask the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald if Lake Superior resembles a big ole' fashioned Nor'Easter.
Cap'n McSorley isn't taking any calls.

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 3:22 pm
(@holy-cow)
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Dang it! I thought it was in my front yard.

We have spent some time in Hot Springs, SD. That is probably the closest I have been to THE POLE.

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 3:37 pm
(@deleted-user)
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Because the surveyors set the line at 33’, that would be their intent. If the road ROW intent was 40’ or 53’, they would have a record of it. I can’t go with the 53’ or 40’.
Because the ROW was not on a section line, the county should have a road number and a deed dated somewhere around the time of the survey of 33’

 
Posted : October 21, 2014 11:01 pm
(@james-fleming)
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>The Pole of Inaccessibility

Takes me back to High School - Magdalena Wolanski, despite all my charms she was a Pole of inaccessibility 😉

 
Posted : October 22, 2014 2:33 am
(@lee-d)
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"Also the farthest Eastern point is in Alaska"

A quick glance at Google Earth debunks that notion (had to look my curiosity was piqued). The eastern border of Alaska appears to be a north south line on approximately 141 degrees west.

 
Posted : October 22, 2014 4:56 am
(@holy-cow)
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It is in the Eastern Hemisphere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attu_Island

A portion of the Aleutian Islands is in the Eastern Hemisphere, not the Western Hemisphere. Hence, somewhere along that line of islands is precisely 180 degrees West and East Longitude.

Check out the link to Attu above, look in the right hand column, and read the coordinates provided.

 
Posted : October 22, 2014 5:09 am
(@holy-cow)
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Ms. Ptasnik was the one in my class. Her parents left Poland under very difficult circumstances in the early years of WWII. Her oldest siblings were born in Poland. A Catholic relief organization helped get the family to the US. One brother was Teodore and another was Cazimir.

 
Posted : October 22, 2014 5:14 am
(@wayne-g)
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It is in the Eastern Hemisphere

Correct Mr Cow. I've won a couple bar bets on that fact. I do get confused as to whether Maine or that little finger in Minnysoota is the farthest North point (continental US). When I lived in the UP, it sure felt like Copper Harbor was about as far North I'd want to go

 
Posted : October 22, 2014 8:27 am
(@surveyorrandy)
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The topic title made me think of an item that a surveyor class character in Dungeons & Dragons might have.

 
Posted : October 24, 2014 2:22 am
(@lee-d)
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It is in the Eastern Hemisphere

OK lol that's one way of looking at it.

 
Posted : October 24, 2014 8:23 am