OSBORNE, KANSAS
Located in the Kill Creek Township, Osborne has a population of approximately 1,600 people, spans 1.5 miles, and, when viewed on a map, resembles a flea; however, Osborne possesses an important and defining feature: it is the geodetic center of North America; the historical marker that declares this fact is located on private property, at Meade’s Ranch; a relatively quick car-ride from Meade’s Ranch will take you to Smith County, Kansas, which is the geographic center of the contiguous United States; by all account, these diminutive Kansas towns could vie for the title of “Center of the World”; this fact was not lost on Aleister Crowley, the infamous British occultist, member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, practitioner of magick, and founder of Thelema; the central doctrine of Thelemic Law, which was born from the Ordo Templi Orientis, is “Love is the law, love under will”; in 1916, Crowley lived in the United States under the employment of British Intelligence; Crowley believed that in central Kansas he would locate a “Scarlet Woman” who would sire his “Moonchild,” a living incarnation of a God; according to lore, this area of Kansas is a gateway to Hell, so a Scarlet Woman would logically make it her home (perhaps disguised as a farm wife); during the four months Aleister Crowley spent in the area between Osborne and Smith County, he reputedly slept with 88 women—and men; by all accounts, no Moonchild was born as a result of Crowley’s sex-binge; I have a friend named Angela who is originally from central Kansas; I would be surprised if Angela is actually a Scarlet Woman; Angela is now a successful aerobics instructor in Boulder, Colorado; Angela grew up on a sheep farm, and as a child she assisted her father in “docking” the sheep, which involves using an Elastrator to place a strong rubber band around the testicles; blood flow to the testicles is cut off and eventually they shrivel and die; now, Angela lives in a stucco house on a golf course and drives a Grand Cherokee; Angela has done well for herself, runs her own business, and is a thoroughly “modern woman”; there are no more sheep in her life; if you go to Osborne, Kansas, and ask about sheep farming, you may meet Angela’s father; it is a distinct possibility; everyone seems to know everyone else in the “Center of the World.”
o my god……
Neither Osborne, nor the Center is in Kill Creek Township. I live in Kill Creek Township. Osborne is in Penn Twp. The Center is in a different Twp, but not Kill Creek. There are no sheep herders left in Osborne County at this time.