Nearest city Leslie, Michigan | Area 36 ha | |
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Location Ingham County, Michigan and Jackson County, Michigan
United States Governing body Michigan Department of Natural Resources Address Pleasant Lake, MI 49272, USA Management Michigan Department of Natural Resources Similar Coldwater Lake State Park, Harbor Island National, Wetzel State Recreatio, Lake Gogebic State Park, Onaway State Park | ||
Meridian-Baseline State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Michigan in both Ingham County and Jackson County.
This 88-acre (36 ha) landlocked area contains the intersection of the Michigan meridian and the baseline used for the Michigan Survey. The park is marked with two monuments that show where the two mismatched baselines meet the principal meridian at the North Initial Point and South Initial Point. The park is not accessible to the public, and can only be reached by a 20-minute drive across private property. It is currently being preserved for its historic value.
On October 12, 2015 the State of Michigan in conjunction with the Ingham and jackson Counties, opened access to Meridian Baseline State Park. Included in the improvements were Road signs, a parking lot, improved tail, a bridge over the creek and trail markers. In 2016 an additional boardwalk was completed in the wetlands near the markers.
In the 1960s and 1970s, land was acquired and money was raised toward establishing a Museum of Surveying on the site. However, in 1981, the Michigan Society of Professional Surveyors instead opened a museum in Lansing, Michigan. Local residents maintain hope that the site will eventually be made accessible to the public.