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TexasTowelie

(117,207 posts)
Sat Mar 17, 2018, 09:12 PM Mar 2018

The thin line between Canada and Alaska

Marked by metal cones and a clear-cut swath 20 feet wide, Alaska's border with Canada is one of the great feats of wilderness surveying.

The boundary between Alaska and Canada is 1,538 miles long. The line is obvious in some places, such as the Yukon River valley, where crews have cut a straight line through forest on the 141st Meridian. The boundary is invisible in other areas, such as the summit of 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias.

In the early 1900s, workers cemented boundary monuments made of aluminum-bronze and standing 2.5 feet tall along much of the border's length.

The country that makes up the border is some of the wildest in North America. Spanning a gap equal to the distance between San Francisco and St. Louis, the border intersects only one settlement: Hyder in Southeast Alaska. Starting in 1905, surveyors and other workers of the International Boundary Commission trekked into this wilderness to etch into the landscape a brand-new political boundary.

Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2018/03/17/the-thin-line-between-canada-and-alaska/


Boundary monument 112, damaged by river ice, at the Yukon River crossing east of Eagle. (Ned Rozell)

6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The thin line between Canada and Alaska (Original Post) TexasTowelie Mar 2018 OP
I'm curious as to what purpose clear-cutting has in the realm of things ffr Mar 2018 #1
It's the first step for building a wall. TexasTowelie Mar 2018 #3
You got me there. ffr Mar 2018 #4
the telegram Hermit-The-Prog Mar 2018 #2
Great Read! Kilgore Mar 2018 #5
You're welcome. TexasTowelie Mar 2018 #6

ffr

(23,131 posts)
1. I'm curious as to what purpose clear-cutting has in the realm of things
Sat Mar 17, 2018, 09:23 PM
Mar 2018

Perhaps to mark the area of fire abatement responsibility? I know we have some fence lines between north and south for Canada and the U.S. but I'm not aware of anything like this. Seems strange.

TexasTowelie

(117,207 posts)
3. It's the first step for building a wall.
Sat Mar 17, 2018, 09:33 PM
Mar 2018

Trump has warned us about the criminals from the other side that might sneak in--like Justin Bieber and Ted Cruz.

TexasTowelie

(117,207 posts)
6. You're welcome.
Sat Mar 17, 2018, 11:17 PM
Mar 2018

After reading about Trump, his administration, and the scandals it's nice to read some light and educational information.

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