Re: angle Inlet
aletheia kallos <aletheiak-/[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.culture.discuss.boundary-point |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
if youre asking then i can tell you it was from the grand forks herald http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/15155717.htm but as usual the relevant mbmnon tripoint is not mentioned recent refresher if you need it http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoundaryPoint/message/19491 --- Brendan Whyte <[email protected]> wrote: > Not sure where this was from, but it was posted > today to a maps list. > Brendan > > > >ANGLE INLET: Ben got a bonus > >Franklin locked up Minnesota's northern 'bump' > thanks to a British gaffe > >By Ryan Bakken > >Herald Staff Writer > > > >That bump on the top of Minnesota map that makes > the Northwest Angle the > >property of the United States? > > > >You can thank Benjamin Franklin. > > > >At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, the early American > statesman will receive credit > >when a marker will be placed at the Angle Inlet > School. The dedication > >will be part of the annual Lake of the Woods > Blueberry Festival at the > >Angle, a popular destination of sports enthusiasts. > > > >The marker is the work of the Friends of Franklin, > an international > >society that is holding events worldwide to mark > Franklin's 300th > >birthday this year. The organization promotes the > study and scholarship > >of Franklin, who was a scientist, inventor and > philosopher as well as a > >statesman. > > > >Running the Northwest Angle ceremony is George > Waters, a Friend of > >Franklin who lives in Rochester, Minn. Attendees > will include Lt. Gov. > >Carol Molnau and officials of the Minnesota > Historical Society. > > > >"It's time to get word out about Franklin's > contribution to the Midwest > >and focus on that crazy bump," Waters said. > > > >A historic oversight > > > >The border protuberance that creates the Northwest > Angle and Islands > >rises above the 49th parallel, the standard border > marker. It makes the > >area the most northern part of the contiguous 48 > states. > > > >The bulge and the inclusion of almost one-third of > Minnesota's land mass > >was the result of a mistake. > > > >The mistake happened during negotiations of the > 1783 Treaty of Paris, > >which ended the Revolutionary War. Franklin > insisted that the border > >between the United States and Canada would be the > "most northernmost > >point" of the Lake of the Woods through the > Boundary Waters to Lake > >Superior. > > > >The British cartographer wrongly believed the Lake > of the Woods led > >directly into Lake Superior by way of the Pigeon > River. The true > >"headwaters" of Lake Superior is the St. Louis > River farther to the south. > > > >A bounty of riches > > > >The mistake meant that U.S. land extended to what > is now known as the > >Arrowhead Region. The region includes the Mesabi > and Vermilion iron > >ranges that were important to the nation's > industrialization. It also > >includes tourist areas such as Northwest Angle, > pine forests and the > >valuable waterfront property along Lake Superior's > North Shore. > > > >"A few years later, the British realized they had > made a terrible > >mistake," Waters said. "After the War of 1812, they > tried to get the > >Arrowhead land back. They fussed around, but > Franklin had enough > >prestige and legacy that they left it as it was." > > > >Waters said most historians believe that Franklin > knew that Lake of the > >Woods flows north into Hudson Bay, not Lake > Superior. But, with the > >large area of land involved and the popular fur > trade at the time, he > >didn't share that knowledge with the British. > > > >"So many of things about him are so fascinating," > Waters said. > >Bakken reports on local news and writes a column. > Reach him at 780-1125, > >(800) 477-6572 ext. 125 or rbakken-l32i/[email protected] > > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BoundaryPoint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: BoundaryPoint-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/