Thinking about Kansas

We're starting to decide whether to drive to Kansas for the fifth time this summer. It's never been a problem before, but my wife is still recovering from a nasty and dangerous piece of surgery back in January. All is not healed, so we are questioning ourselves at this point.

At the same time, there have been some great posts here about the rectangular survey system. Then latest issue of American Surveyor arrived with a column featuring a 1914 book on page 2. The chapter quizzes in that book piqued my interest, especially the ones about Principal Meridians. I know that I've crossed some of them beggars going to and from Kansas. The 6th PM crossing turns out to be near the intersection of West Kellogg Avenue and Meridian Road in Wichita, but it's the third PM that captured my attention.

Here are some links and pictures from Google Earth and other web sites that are sort of neat. It's highly unlikely that my wife will agree to visit these spots, so I decided to make do with pictures and such.

Here are two links. The first is the point of beginning for the 3rd PM in Cairo, IL.

http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=9a146570-cc25-4a30-a555-aeea2380b6c7

The second is a witness monument for the 3rd PM and its baseline intersection in Centralia, IL.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM976X_The_Third_Principal_Meridian_Monument_Centralia_Illinois

Here's a GE Street View of the Cairo monument. I looked at the aerial and couldn't believe that it was just there on the side of the road, but Street View confirmed it. Note the shadow of the GE camera on the road. You can use the link above for a better look at the inscription.

Here's the GE view of the witness to the 3rd PM and its baseline in Centralia. I saw it first on GE so that's why I was so surprised about the one in Cairo. From the description and GE's measurement tool, the actual intersection seems to be the painted section of the highway intersection.

The markers are on opposite sides of Interstate 64, so I'm assuming that I crossed the 3rd PM. I'll certainly stick to that story around here, but some more knowledgeable westerners may dispute that.

You folks out there have beautiful country. It's always a privilege for us to drive through it. I hope we can go again soon.