The Geographic Center of North America

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US#2

This has been a good road. It apparently has been greatly improved since the description in “Blue Highways” (copyright 1982) by William Least Heat Moon. He states: “Montanans call U.S. 2, paralleling the Canadian border all the way to Lake Huron, the High-line. The most desolate of the great east-west routes, it was two lanes of patched, broken, rutted, mind-numbing pavement running from horizon to horizon over the land of god-awful distance.” The road is now in good condition, smooth and straight. It is still a long road that stretches to the horizon. In Montana we saw mile marker 667 before we passed into North Dakota.

In North Dakota we started seeing fields of sunflowers. The land became more varied in its landscape, plants and crops. Fall is in the air and we are seeing more colors and the wispy clouds from the winds. Various places have signs reading “Welcome hunters.” The motel section of the place we stayed at, in Rugby, have several hunters. We had thought about camping at a lake, but hunting is permitted and I didn’t want to wake up to gunfire off in the distance.

Rugby, North Dakota

In 1831 the geographical Center of North America was established by a US Geological Survey. A stone cairn was erected on the spot in 1932. It is at the corner of US#2 and ND#3.

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Photos

Cairn
This is located at US#2 and ND#3. It was built to mark the spot that is the Geographic center of North America.

US 2
This is in Montana. At times it seems that the road goes on forever!!!