Geographical Center North America
"Northern Lights"
Ornate Heater
Clifford 8' 7" (Photo courtesy: ameshistoricalsociety.org)Some people may associate the name 'rugby' with a football game played back as early as the ancient Greeks, but here in North Dakota, it is a city famed as the geographical center of the North American continent. Not to be confused with the geographic center of the contiguous USA located in South Dakota, or the geographic center of the 48 states (ie omitting Alaska & Hawaii) being in Kansas. Phew! Glad I made that clear.
Anyway, in this city of roughly 3,000 folks they have a few interesting tourist attractions. The first and most obvious being a stone obelisk marking the 'center' at the junction of Hwys 2 & 3. Amazing to think this is the center of the USA and Canada. A few yards down the road from it is a tower built in tribute to the Northern Lights phenomenon, commoner in Alaska but sometimes seen this far south. What draws most crowds though is the Prairie Village & Museum, a historically re-created village of the 1800's with artifacts from the white settlers and the American Indians on display. Seeing the implements and buildings common to that time makes us grateful for the technology and luxuries we have today. North Dakota is known for its harsh winters, and this was bought home by the presence of a wood heater in every building, train car, and even in sleds for traveling across the snow. Most were just very basic, but others were very ornate. The museum had an area dedicated to locally born Clifford Thompson who was once listed as the world's tallest man. From parents of average height, he grew to 8ft 7". I'm sure he would be the star of a basketball team if he were alive today.
No comments:
Post a Comment