Things > Benchmarks > Canada-us Boundary Markers

[South Surrey Scavengers]

With the recent addition of Canadian Benchmarks and Recovered US Benchmarks, perhaps the category is already covered twice. Or perhaps it should be its own category as these markers are unique in that they define the boundary of both countries. Information regarding the location of these markers can be found at the International Boundary Commission

[+Black Dog Trackers]

From what I've read in the forums, the concept of an item belonging in (matching the criteria of) two different categories, and waymarked in both, has been identified as a non-problem.

 

Twice might be enough.

 

I think some (all?) of these are already in the NGS database if they are not just boundary markers, but also true geodetic marks.

 

If they are either in the NGS already, or are not actually geodetic marks but just boundary (cadastral) markers instead, then they don't match the criteria of the Recovered US Benchmarks category.

 

Interesting issue!

[+Jeremy]

Why not expand this and make it any country boundary marker? I'm sure other boundary markers exist between countries (though I am often wrong).

[+Hard Oiler]

Just to add to the confusion, here, where the boundary between the US and Canada is a virtual one - a series of unmarked turning points connected by straight lines down the river that separates us - there are land-based geodetic reference markers on both side of the border. The US based ones are in the NGS database, the Canadian ones are in the CSRS database and there are a few that didn't make it to either.

 

Then there are other US marks on the Canadian side and Canadian marks on the US side which may or may not be in either one of our databases. I guess we didn't trust each others coordinates at one time or another.

 

I guess it doesn't really matter where they get logged. This one, for example, is a US Army mark on Canadian soil which I claimed for Canada. It does raise the interesting question - if I disturb it, where do I get imprisoned?

[+Jake39]

-if I disturb it, where do I get imprisoned? 

 

On 'Walpole Island' ...Hard Oiler

[+Black Dog Trackers]

How about "International Boundary Markers" ?

[South Surrey Scavengers]

My initial thought was just the Canada-US boundary markers but I'll have to think bigger now that a few good points have been made. Any item has the potential to qualify for multiple waymark categories if not right now certainly in the future. So we should not be overly concerned that a new category might pose a multiple listing possibility once created as is the case for a Canada-US boundary marker already falling in the existing categories of Canadian Benchmarks and Recovered US Benchamrks (in some cases). The real question is what type of category is going to interest a large enough number of waymarkers to be viable.

 

This is where its time to think bigger. The category should really be International Boundary Markers as suggested by BDT. For if we have a Canada-US Boundary Marker category then logically we will eventually end up with every other international boundary being its own category. I don't think we want to go there. So the International Boundary Marker category would have to have at a minimum two variables just to select the two countries that the boundary represents. Plus any other pertinent variables common for survey markers.

 

Now maybe I should propose another new category. Things > Benchmarks > Triple Point Boundaries. Points where 3 countries all meet at the same point. Or maybe expand that to include Provincial or State Triple points. Perhaps there is even a point or two in the world where more than 3 meet. I think I'll go do some research on that right now, now that I think of it.

[South Surrey Scavengers]

After a bit of research and not including water based triple points which would add a lot, there about 50 triple points in Asia, 30 in Europe, 50 in Africa, 2 in North America, 13 in South America, and 0 in Australia. Some of these are just approximate and if you include water based locations in lakes and oceans there are many many more.

 

Interesting notes: There is one Quadripoint at the boundary of Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. At least I found a website claiming that fact.

[+Hard Oiler]

In fact there is an existing locationless cache for Border Markers:

 

Border Monuments - Don't Cross That Line

 

The description says "The Monument can indicate the border between any two countries, states/provinces, counties, or cities."

 

The current owner is still active but I guess has not got round to, or has the desire to move it over to Waymarking.com.

[South Surrey Scavengers]

Good point, I've even logged that one.

[+Uncle Alaska]

How about this Waymark?

 

Border Crossing

 

-UA