Center of Northern Half of Western Hemisphere - Poniatowski, WI
N 44° 59.956 W 090° 00.240
15T E 736133 N 4987236
This marker commemorates the spot where the 90th meridian crosses the 45th parallel. On it is a map that shows the marker's location versus the actual spot of confluence.
Waymark Code: WM5DQ7
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 12/23/2008
Views: 23
The marker reads:
"This spot in Section 14, in the the Town of Rietbrock, Marathon County is the exact center of the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. It is here that the 90th meridian of longitude bisects the 45th parallel of latitude, meaning it is exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator, and is a quarter of the way around the earth from greenwich, England."
The map explaining the difference between the marker's location and the confluence location reads:
"The two ticks (+) to the east and north are the actual crossing of the 90 West Longitude and 45 North Latitude lines. The northeast most tick is the location of N.A.D. 83 (North American Datum 1983) - the one that your GPS unit is set to if you are using the lat/lon function.
The other tick(northwest of two) is the position for N.A.D. 27(North American Datum 1927) - the old datum and the neat lines (coverage) for U.S.G.S. topographic maps.
The actual 90/45 crossing is approximately 1,063 feet N 75* 4' 35.2* E (or in cardinal directions - approximately 312 ft north and 1017 ft east).
The understanding is that this monument was set here to be in proximity of the road for convenience."
Location Name: Center of Northern Half of Western Hemisphere
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Visit Instructions:
A photo of either you or your GPS at the site is welcomed but not required.