The Markeroni Blog
The blog of Markeroni, the Gentle Art of Landmark-Snarfing

Possibly one of the most overused words of the past few years is the word “extreme”: “Extreme flavor”, “extreme sports”, “extreme fun,” etc.

Snarfing (the hunt for historical markers) is usually not an activity that calls for using the word “extreme.” Most markers are located in very prosaic locations where the most extreme activity required is walking a half-mile from where the car is parked.

There are exceptions to every rule, however. In my travels about the Internet, I found a marker that deserves the label extreme. Very few people will ever come within a few hundred miles of this marker, much less see it in person–and those that do will be exposed to sub-zero temperatures and howling winds.

The Cape Evans historical marker is located on Ross Island, Antarctica. It documents the base camp of Robert Scott’s British Expedition to Antarctica, 1910-13. The expedition ended in tragedy with five team members who reached the South Pole dying, including Scott.

After the remainder of the expedition members left the base camp, the structures were buried in snow. With the construction of the McMurdo Station in the 1956, the remains of Scott’s base camp were rediscovered and were restored. The cold, dry conditions have preserved the cabin and its contents in nearly the same condition as the day they were left.

This would be a truly remarkable snarf to obtain. Maybe one day, someone from Markeroni will feel like a challenge and we will have our first Antarctic snarf!

I recently ran across an unusual marker at a rest stop along Interstate 5 in California. The marker contained the coordinates of the California center of population for the 2000 census.

So what is a center of population? One way to think of it is as if California were a flat surface in the shape of the state. Weights representing individual people are placed on the top of the surface in the locations that the individuals registered for in the census. The center of population would be the point in the state upon which the entire flat state and the weights would be in perfect balance.

Obviously, no one sits around with a bunch of state shapes, weights and a pointy object to balance them on. These locations are calculated by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), a part of the United States government. Each state’s center and the center for the entire country are calculated with each census. The NGS places the national population center plaque every ten years and encourages states to place markers indicating their population centers.

California is one state which places a marker. The population center of California (pdf file) has moved quite a bit since the center was first calculated in 1880. In 1880, it was located just west of the city of Stockton. The growth of Southern California is clear as the center has moved consistently south since that time. As of 2000, the center is west of the city of Bakersfield, a distance of about 200 miles!

So where is the center of population for entire country? For 2000, it is located in Phelps County, MO.

Your state may have a marker too. This map shows where the centers were for the 2000 census. The colors on the map indicated the status of state markers but is obviously out of date–California has one now but is only shown as being interested on the map. Your state may have one. Get out there and find those centers!

[tags]population center, california population center, history, california history[/tags]