Exactly where is the center of Utah? It's a question that's
been
around for a long time, and tonight we may finally have an answer.
Local lore says that the town of Levan is the word "navel"
spelled backwards, and it's in the middle of the state. That's
only
one of many legends about the center of the state, but now there
is
a place that actually looks pretty official.
To earn the rank of Eagle, a Boy Scout must complete a project
to
benefit the community. Jesse Richmond, who is from Mt. Pleasant,
in
Central Utah, decided to settle once and for all the question
of
exactly where the center of Utah is located.
"We contacted USGS about it, and they gave me these
coordinates
over the phone, and I came out here with a GPS and found it and
put
some rocks here," Richmond said.
He learned it's difficult to find a geographic center of a
state
when you factor in the state's boundaries, the curve of the
earth
and the center of gravity of the state. "There are as many ways
to
find the center of the state as there are definitions of the
word,
so there could be other centers of Utah, but this is the one
geographical one," he said.
Richmond worked to get donations for the marker, and with
help
from his troop, installed it. He believes the area represents
the
geography of Utah. "It is kind of dry and rocky, but there is
still
a lot of life around here, there are a lot of deer, we found
a
lizard," he said.
So where is the center of Utah? Some say it is Levan,
others
believe it is Spring City, while some wonder if the center of
Utah
is in the town of Chester. Well, according to the United
States
Geological Survey, the spot is eight miles northwest of Manti
and
five miles west of Ephraim.
Now a marker in the hills marks the spot, ending the question
of
exactly where the Center of Utah is. Again, there are many ways
to
determine a state's geographic center, and we are not trying
to
create controversy.
The spot identified by the USGS and where the new marker
installed by the scouts sits, is at GPS coordinates, N 39 23.200
W
111 41.100. The scouts have built a trail. You can drive to
the
trailhead, which is located at GPS coordinates, N 39 23.050 W
111
41.010.
The cache is a green gutted flash light w/ Log (pencil) ,
Jazz
schedule. Wooden nickel , rubber ball.
Clink on the link provided for hand drawn map