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

I just discovered that, most likely sometime last week, the 80,000th landmark was input into Markeroni’s database for people to find.

80,000! Whoah.

(For visitors, this does not mean that we have found 80,000 landmarks. It means that we have made 80,000 landmarks available to be logged in the site without being requested first.)

[tags]markeroni[/tags]

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 The colors on the map indicated the status of state markers but is obviously out of date–California has one now but is only shown as being interested on the map.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]

Today, we can hop a red-eye airline flight to just about anywhere in the world. A plane flying at night is not seen as being much of a problem with technologies such as radios, radar and GPS navigation.

80 years ago, it was a different story. Aviation was mostly a daylight activity. There was radio but it hadn’t been developed for use in navigation yet. Radar was still 20 years in the future and the idea of launching something like a GPS satellite into space was the realm of HG Wells and Jules Verne.

The United States mail service was looking for ways to shorten delivery times and airmail was put into use as a quick way to move letters around. The problem was that airplanes could only fly during the day as they couldn’t navigate easily in the dark. To solve the problems with flying at night, a network of light towers, called airway beacons, was constructed across the country along pre-designated flight paths.

The first tower was installed in Moline, IL on Dec. 7, 1926. Within seven years, there were 1,550 towers guiding planes over 18,000 miles of flight paths.

Every ten miles initially, and later, fifteen miles as lighting technology improved, along a flight path was one of the airway beacon towers. The tower was topped with a rotating light and a pair of fixed lights, one pointing toward each of the next towers in the line. Most of the lights were red, indicating a tower location only. Some of the towers had an emergency airfield located next to the tower. These were indicated by a green light.

For over 20 years, the lights guided America’s growing air transportation system. By the 1950s, technology had made the system obsolete and most of the airway beacons were removed from service.

Some airway beacons do remain in service, however. The FAA transferred 14 towers to the State of Montana in the 1970s and they are still maintained and in use today.

Thirteen Things #3 13 Snarfs in Scotland

All the links open in a new window and load on top of one another, so you can keep two windows open and see them one at a time.

1. Ullapool War Memorial
   A very unusual war memorial, in the guise of a clock. The east coast town of Ullapool is so remote that this memorial is not just for Ullapool, but for the entire valley. The names are written on the base. Next time I’m there I must remember to get a better photograph.

2. Beauly Boer War Memorial
   Here’s something you just never see in the USA. The Boer War was fought in South Africa from 1899 to 1902…primarily over gold. Actually, this is the first Boer War memorial that I ever recall seeing.

3. Cawdor Castle
   No kidding. It’s that Cawdor Castle. Of course, the Macbeth story was sheer propoganda designed to make a writer’s king happy. Macbeth was a perfectly capable, non-murderous king. Cawdor Castle is pretty, and has giant thistles in the garden. It also has the distinction of being the only castle where I have read all the interpretive panels while going through. They were funny.

4. Duntulm Castle
   On the Isle of Skye. It’s slowly vanishing into the sea, I think. I’m sad because when I first went here, one could actually go right in. The second time, it was blusteringly windy and we were the only visitors. Signs warned that it was dangerous, but you still could go right in. Now, you cannot.

5. Aviemore Ring Cairn and Stone Circle
   Nestled slap-bang in the middle of a housing estate, this ancient monument still contrives to keep a stillness about it. It’s like stepping in time. The tree is a rowan, and was bristling with red berries when I was there.

6. Hugh Miller Cottage and House
   Hugh Miller was a famous writer and geologist born in Cromarty, which happens to be one of my favorite places in Scotland. The cottage where he was born is teeny-tiny and as cute as pie.

7. Urquhart Castle
   Urquhart Castle is well-preserved and perched precariously on the shores of Loch Ness, very grand for monster-spotting. The visitor center is awesome and has a flair for drama–you’ll see. My parents have taken disabled friends there; they offer golf carts and flat paths if you can’t walk too well.

8. Dun Troddan
   A bronze age broch. These structures were living places and strongholds for people in the bronze age, and three of them can be found by going down the narrow road of Glenelg.

9. Beauly Priory
   Isn’t this gorgeous? Beauly derives its name from the French “beau lieu,” which is apparently what Queen Elizabeth the I remarked when she came here. It was built in the 13th Century. The rose-colored stone is typical of this area.

10. The Cleopatra Sails
    Written by Hugh Miller, this historical marker/prose talks of those who emigrated during the clearances, and how they went with mixed feelings–hope for a better life, and pain at leaving behind and being left behind.

11. The Eagle Stone
    Carved with the symbols of an eagle and a horseshoe, this 6th century Pictish stone may have been a meeting place. It is steeped in legend.

12. Kilvaxter Souterrain and Homestead
    On the Isle of Skye, this was an unexpected and exciting find. It had only recently been excavated. Souterrains were long, winding, very low tunnels used for storage. A flashlight had been left out for exploring. I got creeped out when I lost sight of the doorway, and walk-squatting didn’t do much for me either. But I felt like a Real Live Historian while crawling along in these ancient tunnels.

13. Deep Freeze Mountains
    Part of the Knockan Crag trail, Knockan being where some people finally figured out how geology “worked,” this shows a wonderful view with a picture in front showing how much used to be under ice.
    

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

1. Amy’s Random Thoughts
   
2. Momma Writes About Books
   
3. Buck Naked Politics

On the 17th of July I visited the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the umpti-umpth time. Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places and it celebrated its 100th birthday this year. Apparently, it did this by unveiling a new historical walking tour. This week’s Thursday Thirteen picks out thirteen different snarfs from among the two dozen or so available just by walking the Boardwalk end to end.

Click the boardwalk tag to see other Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk landmarks.

1. The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
   The entire Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is State Historic Landmark #903. You can play and be all historically appreciative at the same time.

2. Original boardwalk boards
   Some of the original boardwalk boards were preserved.

3. Looff Carousel
   This is one half of a double National Historic Landmark, the crè de la crè of Stateside landmarks and by far and away my favorite ride.

4. Looff Giant Dipper
   This is the other half. A thrill on a “rickety” old rollercoaster. It was recently awarded landmark status by the American Coaster Enthusiasts.

5. Santa Cruz Seaside Company
   The boardwalk started life as a casino with dance hall etc. It burnt down. The original company went bust and this one took over in 1915. They’re still going strong.

6. Before the Boardwalk
   The story of the original casino which burnt down.

7. Boardwalk Goes Hollywood
   Several movies were filmed here, including one of my all-time favorites, The Lost Boys.

8. Beauty and the Beach
   Various beauty pageants were held here, with or without scandal.

9. Daredevils
   The beach was also a playground for people who liked to hang from thin ropes and other feats.

10. Dancing Through the Years
    There was a dance hall here, and many events were held over the years.

11. The Plunge
    One could also swim, though perhaps not at the same time as dancing.

12. Whiting’s Foods
    I liked the giant ice cream cone, actually.

13. A Love Story
    The couple who now run several shops here met as teenagers in the Summer of Love. They’re now a two-generation business.
    

Other Thursday Thirteeners

1. Bad Jokes and Oven Chips
   
2. Soliloquy: That’s Life
   
3. Momma Writes About Books
   
4. The Accidental Novelist
   
5. A Lady’s Diversion
   
6. Vixen’s Den
   

I’m billing this as a snarfari sneak peek.

I’m heading up to New York City later this week. The primary purpose is to meet up with friends and family. But along the way I suspect I’ll get some snarfing done around Coney Island and Yankee Stadium. I may have a chance to make further inroads on city landmarks in Manhattan. I’m up to 76 out of 586 for Manhattan, placing me in the lower part of the borough.

Here are thirteen snarfs that I particularly like.

1. Wigwam Village
   I like this for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have fond memories of going that way when I was on my way to Texas. The timing wasn’t right or I might have stayed there. Secondly, it just looks cool. And thirdly, nobody makes stuff like this any more–and it’s a shame. In our generic world, unique motels like this are a delight. And fourthly, it’s owned by the family who built it. How cool is that?

2. The Hurlers
   One of Britain’s many stone circles. I have been here, and it’s fascinating–and there are other ancient sites around, including a hill fort. I love Cornwall, a magical place, and I think this entry is particularly fun. I mean…toilet paper! What more could one ask?

3. Mima Mounds
   A fascinating landscape of bumps and hillocks. I particularly like the gopher theory. I was taken there briefly and would very much like to explore all the trails. It’s like a mini prairie and is quite peaceful.

4. Phillips 66 Service Station
   Absolutely the cutest little gas station you ever saw, and a far cry from the generic hulks of Shell and Chevron.

5. Wild Burros
   What’s not to like–cute donkeys in the middle of Oatman, California. Of course, with all the tourists, the donkeys are only semi-wild…but still. The cute level is high.

6. Saratoga
   One of my own. This is the landmark that taught me that historical markers really do move around at night, thus giving birth to the Elusive Marker Beast. I also like the story of it.

7. Siamese Twins
   The original Siamese twins. Their life story is amazing, and I had no idea that they lived in rural North Carolina. It’s one of those stories that is usually somewhere around in your psyche, but I had no idea there was a historical marker to go with it.

8. Vietnam Memorial Wall
   This is such a powerful image, with the people paying homage and the reflections.

9. Birthplace of Archie Stevenot
   I like this visually and it’s given me a hankering to ride CA-4 sometime. Tiny little roads are really appealing to me. I gather that towards the end one navigates a 25% grade. Whee! It is also one of Markeroni’s earliest snarfs and I like that.

10. Henry W. Grady House
    I like the story behind this one: the fact that Grady moved to Athens so his sons could attend the university. I also love that Georgia has such an enormous historical marker system. There are something like 1800 of them, as I recall.

11. Waterloo Pioneers
    A cool little tower. I have a similar attitude to narrow steep stairways. I liked the mixture of nostalgia and current-world, as well as the picture.

12. The West Montrose Covered Bridge
    I like covered bridges. They’re not something I ever saw in the UK growing up, and I’ve only ever seen one in California. This one even has a subtitle of “the kissing bridge.” Gee, I wonder why. ;)

13. Portolà Journey’s End
    The first landmark ever logged at Markeroni. Sure seems like a long time ago.
    

Links to other TTs

1. Tinkerbell
   
2. Vixens Den
   
3. Thorne’s World
   

19 June 2007

I went there looking for one particular historical marker. I’d ridden past it on two separate occasions, each time when it was closed. I knew there was some kind of a local park here, but had somehow failed to realize that it was a heritage park.

Even though I’d learned of the existence of Chitactac-Adams County Heritage Park some years previously, I had never put two and two together and associated the E Clampus Vitus marker with this location. I’d known that there was an ECV plaque here–just not which one. I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised to find that not only had I located that sweet elusive marker beast, I’d landed at the beginning of a heritage trail, too.

Archaeologists believe that the Mutsun Ohlone Indians lived here for around 3,000 years, and that there had been a permanent settlement for at least two of those millenia. Their culture faded only with the coming of the Spanish and the missions in the 18th century. There were hundreds of different tribes in California, separated by geography, each with its own remarkably dissimilar dialect. This could have been a kind of Babylon, with a different language for each separate valley. When I read that this group used local materials for its buildings, I could sort of see why.

I started my tour at the interpretive shelter, a little structure that seemed to evoke Ohlone huts (apart from the motion sensor that switched on a light as I entered!) Seven panels and different displays gave an overview of Ohlone culture and life. I then read the first of the interpretive panels outside, “School Days,” and learned what the “Adams” part of the name was–an old school that had been founded by a sherriff, John Hicks Adams. (He also gave the name Hicks to one of the roads around here that is quite “interesting” on a bike, but that’s by the by.)

In an attack of no-think, I left my free map in my saddlebags, anticipating that the route would be clear. In actual fact, it wasn’t that clear: I found myself wishing for a helpful arrow here and there, or actual numbering of the interpretive panels. It is not a large park, though, so I did not lose much by going at it randomly and starting more or less in the middle of the trail.

I trotted down the steps at the back of the hut where pretty, green woodland helped block out the heat of the day. I read about Ohlone buildings before climbing up to the Chitactac village information where the site host’s dog barked at me. (If I’d followed the map, I would have been led downhill, which would have been considerably easier while wearing heavy boots, jeans, armored leggings, and carrying a bulky yellow jacket and a bottle of water filled up from the nice water fountain. However, the dog would probably still have barked.)

But, I digress.

Most of the route is wheelchair-accessible with nice smooth ramps, but the rock art station was not. That’s unfortunate, as it was rather neat. A fixed tube directs your eye to an example of a cup and ring petroglyph, hiding on a rock below. This site is noted for its petroglyphs, exact purpose only guessed at, though they are quite hard to spot and to some extent hidden. Many have already been lost to the inane scratchings of initials and other forms of vandalism.

It was fascinating to see evidence of the same kinds of markings that I’d already found in Scotland. Apparently, even the ancient world was “a small world.”

I had to backtrack past several large chunks of sandstone in which there were a great many rounded indentations. These were used in food processing: not just to grind acorns and other seeds but to prepare many other types of food. There were over 75 of these mortars–one of the largest concentrations in California.

My favorite station was Uvas Creek. Next to a huge, water-carved chunk of rock the air was decidedly cooler and smelled earthy and pleasant. Below me the creek decanted itself into a small pool and the air was alive with birdsong and darting bugs. It was a true oasis, peaceful and soothing. I moved up a little to read about the ultimately devastating arrival of the Spanish and the end of Ohlone life here, and took a pleasant break on the steps of the aphitheater.

Only two more stations remained, one about the ranchos and the other about Ohlone round houses. Several different kinds of buildings were here including residential huts, social meeting huts, partially buried buildings, and food storage sheds.

The tour was over. I couldn’t tell whether the walking tour estimates of 20-30 minutes were accurate as I don’t own a watch and my cellphone wasn’t getting service out that way, but it seemed about right. I walked back up the ramp rather than taking the direct route with its steps, and then iced the cake of my unexpected find with a reading of the E Clampus Vitus plaque:

Chitactac-Adams County Heritage Park.
Watsonville Road at Burchell Road
Gilroy, California
408-323-0107
http://www.parkhere.org

Welcome to the Markeroni blog, a place where we hope to capture the flavor of Markeroni and landmark-snarfing for you.

We will include short articles about trips to find historic places (On Snarfari), as well as technique (tips and tricks), reviews of equpment, books, and anything relevant to history or the hobby, and site news. The articles will be written by members of Markeroni–so if you think that this might be a fun outlet for your writing talents, please join us!

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