July 11, 2017
It’s less than 90 miles from Custer to Belle Fourche (pronounce bell foosh) but we found so much to do in Custer that we decided to extend our stay in the Black Hills and reposition ourselves to take advantage of the sights to the north. Belle Fourche means pretty fork; it’s where the Belle Fourche and Redwater Rivers come together with Hays Creek.
We started with the local museum which happened, among other things, to celebrate Belle Fourche’s unique position as being the geographic center of the United States. There’s a splendid monument with granite and flags and a brass medallion.
But look! The geographic center of the United States is actually located elsewhere.
Here’s Dave at the spot that was marked in 1959. But look! Even that appears wrong. In 1962 the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey put a new marker in the concrete pointing a few feet further into the field.
And then, into a different square of concrete, they put this marker which might really be the geographic center of the U.S.
Anyway, the drive out into the fields was nice. We saw sheep and pronghorn and a missile site.
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