located in the Forum. On July 7, 1919, a temporary marker for the Zero Milestone was dedicated on the Ellipse south of the White House during ceremonies launching the Army's first attempt to send a convoy of military vehicles across the country to San Francisco, California. On June 5, 1920, Congress authorized the Secretary of War to erect the current monument, design to be approved by the Commission of Fine Arts and installed at no expense to the government. Dr. Johnson took charge of the details and raised donations for the design and construction. The permanent Zero Milestone was dedicated in a ceremony on June 4, 1923. See also Benchmarking (geolocating) Geodetic datum Kilometre zero Kilometre Zero (Bucharest) List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2 Zero Kilometre Stone (Budapest) References External links Dept. of Transportation: Zero Milestone North view with inscription "ZERO MILESTONE" and profile of compass rose Compass rose atop the Zero Milestone Many comments from geocachers and more pictures 1923 establishments in Washington, D.C. Monuments and memorials in Washington, D.C. Road signs in the United States Kilometre-zero markers Individual signs in the United States