Beaver, Wisconsin
North of Green Bay along Highway 141, 3/4-mile north of Beaver, this roadside boulder identifies the exact half-way point on the earth's surface between the Equator and the North Pole.
Half Way North Latitude 45° 8' 45.7" North Pole Equator Erected by |
Frank E. Noyes (1856-1941) was editor and publisher of the Marinette Daily Eagle. His father had started the paper in 1871, and his son would later inherit it. Frank Noyes was involved with many civic organizations in Marinette and a booster of the young town. A history buff, he became interested in the 1930s in creating several bronze plaques around town at the sites of historic events. In order to create a monument marking the 45th Parallel, Noyes spent several years corresponding with the National Geographic Society to pinpoint its location, and ultimately decided to place three plaques honoring the 45th Parallel in the area.
A similar halfway monument stands north of Menominee on Highway 41, while the actual 45th Parallel is marked near Oconto several miles south. Due to the bulging of the earth near the Equator, the point on the surface equidistant between 0° (Equator) and 90° (North Pole) is not the same as 45°.
View 45th Parallel Markers in Google Maps
