SCOUTING YESTERDAY: Continental monument near Pierre sparks decades-long feud with North Dakota

This week in South Dakota history: June 7-13

A century ago this week, the Miller Press reported a monument is to be erected at the center of South Dakota and the approximate center of North America.

According to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, professor Robert F. Kerr of South Dakota State College, now SDSU, was the first to determine that the geographical center of North America was very near the geographical center of South Dakota. Pierre developer Charles Hyde and South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson saw this unique combination of centers as an opportunity to promote the Pierre area.

A 23-foot concrete obelisk was constructed in 1923 between two lanes of U.S. Highway 14 north of Pierre. To ensure drivers did not crash into and break the monument, the obelisk was placed on top of two large platforms. Recognizing the safety concerns of a large object in the middle of a highway, a new monument was built on top of nearby Snake Butte in 1928.

Not long after the completion of the monument atop Snake Butte, the U.S. Geological Survey found their own center and it wasn’t near Snake Butte. Instead, the USGS pinned the center of North America 18 miles north of Rugby, North Dakota.

The methods used to calculate the center varied from the prior analysis, including a different definition of just what exactly North America is — taking into account different islands and bodies of water.

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