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Page last updated: 11/09/2007 07:46 PM
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HISTORY OF THE 45TH PARALLEL CAIRN (NORTH OF
ELK RAPIDS, MI)
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| Dedication
Ceremony - June 28th, 1938 |
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This point is halfway
between the Equator and the North Pole.
The cairn is a
polylith made of boulders from each of Michigan's 83 counties, so you can find your
favorite. Its difficult to tell why the monument is placed along this quiet road, or what
the symbolism of the boulders might have to do with 45th Parallel.
Inside the cairn
is a time capsule containing newspapers, resort booklets and accounts of the era. The
Cairn is dedicated to Hugh J. Gray of Grand Rapids who is generally regarded as "the
father of the tourist industry" in Michigan.
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The plaque
reads:
Hugh J. Gray
Dean
of Michigan's Tourist Activity
1938 State Committee: Governor Frank Murphy, Hon. Chairman;
U.S. Senator Arthur H. Vandenburg; U.S. Senator Prentiss M. Brown; Bruce E. Anderson, Gen.
Chairman; J. Lee Barrett, Vice-Chairman; Don C. Weeks, Secretary; Murray D. Van Wagoner;
P.J. Hoffmaster; Thomas F. Marston; Lee Wilson Hutchins; Geo E. Bishop
This point is halfway between the
Equator and the North Pole.
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