I'll be honest, I've never, not once, thought about what happens when two oceans meet. At least, not until I went to the Eastern Continental Divide monument in Duluth.
Tucked in a green space in historic Downtown Duluth in Gwinnett County, is an obelisk that denotes the Eastern Continental Divide. RoadsideAmerica reports that water flows to two different locations from that point - to the right, the Gulf of Mexico and to the left, the Atlantic Ocean. Supposedly, if you pour water out at the divide, it too will flow in two directions.
Curious, I decided to test it out. I dragged one of my trusty companions out to Duluth (which wasn't too far from my former stomping grounds of Johns Creek,) got a cup of water from the Dairy Queen and decided to try it.
Get this - it kind of worked! It looked like the water really did move in two directions. It's a seemingly flat surface, and it spread in like a diagonal motion. Check out the video we took above.
But, back to the question at hand. I didn't see a lot of information about the Divide online, at least, not for Georgia. I did stumble across a website, that discusses the whole divide and had a section about the monument I visited.
According to GPSInformation.org, the monument was put in place in 2011 and the divide was, at one point, under the old City Hall. There's also apparently a longer path of the divide that I did not know about, and therefore, did not walk. But Jack Yeazal did, and you can check his findings out here. Thanks, Jack!
This isn't the first time I've gone to an oddity without knowing anything about it, but it's the second. I prefer to stalk, hunt and gather information before I visit so I can be the most knowledgeable, and really because there's the satisfaction that comes with the end of a chase, but I decided to just go this time.
It wasn't hard to find. If you're familiar with the city of Duluth, head to the downtown area where there used to be some shops and a theater (a new Dreamland Barbeque is going where some of those shops were) and near Buford Highway. The monument at the edge of a green space in the town park, near city hall. There's some road parking near the area, as well as a large brick walkway with no parking in front of it, where the monument is. If you're not familiar with Duluth, take I-985 South and get off at Exit 107 and follow 120 West to Main Street and it should be right there.
Next week, we'll stay a little closer to home with a Gainesville and talk about a long-time Gainesville "resident" that's even survived a tornado. You've probably already guessed it - I'm talking about Old Joe.
Until then, stay curious.
This article merely scratches the surface of the Eastern Continental Divide Monument, but whether or not water really flows two ways is up to you. The comments made in this feature article, by myself and by those who have been mentioned or quoted, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Jacobs Media Corporation. Read, enjoy and explore at your own risk.
