Taylor County High Point Trip Report
70 areas (1,300+ ft)
Date: March 19, 2004
Author: Bob Schwab
Andy Martin’s book reports 73 areas for Taylor County spread across seven
quadrants, but due to overlaps across quadrant lines, there are "only 70"
contours that must be investigated. This county took three separate visits
to complete.
two areas in section 36-69N-34W
From Bedford drive 3.25 miles north on Route 148 to Kirkwood Avenue. Follow
Kirkwood north to 220th Street, turn right, then left onto Lexington Avenue. Go
north about 0.4 mile to field access on your right. Park here and hike east
into a bermed bean field to a small area (1). From this point, you can either
continue northeast another 0.3 mile, crossing into a cornfield to area 2, or you
can return to your car, move farther north to one of two possible field access
spots to the cornfield, and hike east from there.
one area in sections 9/16-69N-34W
Return to Route 148 and continue north for 4.5 miles, passing the town of Gravity.
Turn left on 180th Street and go west for 1.1 miles to an area just
beyond a windmill on the corner of Jerico Avenue. Area 3 crosses the road here,
with the highest part of the contour in the cornfield to the north.
nine areas in the vicinity of Sharpsburg
From Gravity, drive east, then north a total of 8 miles on Routes N-35 and N-52
to the town of Sharpsburg. Continue north on N-52 into town and turn right on
Main Street. Drive to the eastern end of Main Street and jog north and east to
where the road swings north again (at the corner of N Lake and E Lake). This is
the southern reach of a large contour (area 4) that runs north to old 160th Street
(this road has virtually disappeared east of Prairie Avenue). The high
ground is fairly obvious in the tiered bean and cornfields to the east, and you
can clearly discern the "cut" made by old 160th Street. Another contour (area 5)
continues north of 160th Street, crosses 155th Street, and reaches east
across Quail Avenue. Drive north on Prairie, then east on 155th Street to Quail
Avenue and the BM Dalby site (1302 feet), but the buildings and BM are gone now.
South of 155th the area is mostly planted in beans, while north of the road is
hay/pasture. Return to the corner of Prairie Avenue and 155th Street. Go west
0.2 mile to a yellow house (#2529). A Mr. Kirby (or Derby) lives here. A
neighbor was visiting with him when I stopped in and it was the neighbor who
talked with me at some length (out in the yard) about high spots in the county.
He gave permission to visit area 6, which sits in the cornfield immediately
north of the house. Drive east to Quail Avenue, turn left and go north 0.4 mile.
To your left in a fenced pasture is a smallish area (7). Continue north to the
intersection with 150th Street. Turn right and go almost 0.5 mile to a field
access road that diagonals northwest. Ask at the house (with the horses in the
front yard) for permission to walk back on this path which crosses a small spot
(area 8) in the hayfield behind the house, and continues to the eastern side of
a larger area (9). The western (corn) side of area 9 can be explored by hiking
north from 150th Street, or east from Quail Avenue (there are trees on the
dividing line that splits this area). Drive north on Quail Avenue about 0.25
mile from 150th Street. Park near a single grain bin on your right. From here,
hike east to explore the cornfield portion of area 9. Next, hike west into the
bean field roughly 0.4 mile to two small spots (areas 10 and 11). Continue
north on Quail to the half-section line and park here. There is field access to
the west on this corner and a No Hunting sign. The field to the north is CRB
land (conservation restoration) and it’s a lot more fun to hike in than a muddy
bean field. Area 12 is about 0.5 mile west on the half-section line.
five small areas in the northern part of Gravity Quadrant
Return to the corner of Quail Avenue and 150th Street. Drive west on 150th for
1.5 miles to Oregon Avenue and N-52 (dirt). Turn right and go north 2.5 miles
to the center of section 16. Park here, cross the fence and hike west-southwest
about 0.4 mile to a small area (13) in the bean field. Next, move your car 0.4
mile farther north and park near a gate into a cornfield. Area 14 is just a few
hundred feet southwest of the gate.
Continue north to 120th Street and turn right. Go east 1.5 miles to Quail
Avenue, turn left and go north 0.2 mile to a posted orange gate (Wallaces Farmer).
Since this was a cold miserable day and no one was anywhere near,
I hopped the gate, ran west a few hundred feet to the high ground (area 15)
and returned to my car in five minutes or less.
From the corner of Quail Avenue and 120th Street, drive west 3 miles to Naples
Avenue (a muddy road). Park here at the corner and walk a few hundred feet
north to a small high spot in the road. The highest ground for this tiny area (16)
is on the left near the trees on the fence line. Next, enter the field at
the corner where you parked and hike diagonally southwest across the cornfield
to another small area (17) in the pasture behind a fence. There were cattle in
this field when I visited, so be careful not to spook them.
eighteen areas in Corning South Quadrant
From the corner of Naples Avenue and 120th Street, drive east 0.5 mile to
Newport Avenue and turn left. Go north 2/3 mile to where the road crests in the
center of area 18. There is a nice rise here and you definitely feel this is
high ground (the road bed is quite high). There’s a gate on the east which
provides access to the cornfield. Continue north to 110th Street and turn left.
In 0.3 mile, there is easy access to the bean fields on both sides of the road.
There’s a large area to the south (area 19), and a smaller area to the north
(area 20). The southern area is definitely higher. Continue west another 0.6
mile on 110th Street and park along the road. The fence is falling down here
which provides easy access to area 21, which is south in the cornfield.
Next, reverse directions and drive east to Newport Avenue. Continue east
another 0.2 mile on 110th Street and find a parking spot on the north side of
the road (the buildings shown on the topo map are gone). Once again, the fence
is falling down, and you can easily enter the bean field to the south and hike a
short distance southeast to the contour (area 22). Drive east another 0.6 mile
and park near an abandoned farm on the south. A gate to the north allows access
into the cornfield (west) and bean field (east). Angle northwest to visit area
23, and area 24 is due north (and northeast) of the gate. Hike south beyond the
abandoned farm to a long narrow contour that straddles CRB (conservation
restoration) land (area 25). If you’re ambitious, continue hiking south into
the field where you will encounter two more areas (26 and 27) about 0.5 mile
south of the road. These last two areas can also be visited by parking along
Oregon Avenue and hiking west 0.2 mile. After you return to your car, drive
east, passing Oregon Avenue and stop at the white house on your left (#2467).
I met Mrs. Christensen here. The house sits on a small spot (area 28), however,
it is obvious that the contours to the northwest are much higher. On the corner
of Oregon and 110th Street is a large brush/debris pile. Drive 0.2 to 0.3 mile
north on Oregon Avenue and park. From here, hike west into the bean field to
further explore the eastern part of area 24. You can also easily visit the
round area (29) to your northwest.
Move your car north to the half-section line and find a gate to the west, and
just north, field access to the east. Park here near the crest in the road to
explore area 30 which sprawls across the road here. There are bean fields to
your west and north, and CRB land to your east. This area is definitely higher
than Mrs. Christensen’s yard.
Another 0.35 mile north is yet another area (31) that straddles the road.
Continue north to the county line (Adams-Taylor Street) and turn left. There
are two more areas immediately south of the road (areas 32 and 33), 0.2 miles
west of the intersection. Two gates here allow access into adjacent fields.
There’s another area (34) just south of the road in the hay 0.15 mile farther west.
Go east 0.3 mile from the intersection with Oregon Avenue to the last
area in this cluster. There’s a gate here (No Hunting) and the area (35) is
south of some bins and a barn.
eleven areas (including spot elevation 1305 feet) in Lenox Quadrant
Continue east on the county line (Adams-Taylor Street) for 2.2 miles to Rockwood Avenue.
Turn right and go south 0.5 mile to a post on the half-section line.
Park here and hike east into the cornfield (no fences, easy access). Area 36 is
southeast about 0.15 mile, and area 37 is 0.4 mile east. Return to your car and
go north back to the county line. Continue east 0.8 mile to just beyond a pink house.
Park in a pull-in on the south, and hike 0.15 mile south into the bean
field to area 38. This field is very flat.
Continue east on the county line road for 1.2 miles to Route N-64. The last
half mile or so you’ll be driving on the northern edge of a very large contour
(area 39) that runs south for almost 2 miles and on which half the town of Lenox
is built. At the intersection, there’s a gate on the east which provides access
to the large flat field that runs south toward Lenox. Drive south on N-64 about
0.25 mile and park off the road. There is a jog in the fence to the east which
is close to where spot elevation 1305 is located. This area has been altered
somewhat since the topo was produced and there’s no sign of an airstrip anymore.
Go south to the town and turn left on Van Buren (J-13). Turn right on Main,
drive south and turn left on Iowa, then go left again on Locust, etc. Have fun
wandering around exploring this town. Higher ground within area 39 may exist in
the vicinity of Temple and Ohio near the water tower. When you find these
streets, drive east to circle around two small areas on the east side of town.
The spots (areas 40 and 41) are between Temple and Ohio and can best be seen
from Ohio Street near the Sunrise Apartments (I walked up and down the sidewalk
on Temple and couldn’t really detect anything). Find the intersection of Ohio
and Oak. Go north on Oak (turns to a dirt road) to Van Buren (J-13) and note
the classic old brick house north of the intersection. The house sits on a
small spot (area 42) and has an unusual brick silo to the east. Jog west and
turn right on Lakeshore Drive. As the road goes north, you’ll notice it rise up
as it crosses area 39 near a brown house. After you pass the house, watch for a
field access point on your left. You’ll need this to get around the trees and
through the fence that blocks you from a small remnant area (43) west of the
road and east of area 39. Continue on Lakeshore Drive which has some nice lakes,
a park and a golf course. Continue northeast on a dirt road from the golf
course entrance to Utah Street. Turn right and go south almost 0.5 mile and
park. Hike into the cornfield to your right (west) to a small area (44) and
continue southwest into the adjacent bean field to two more areas (45 and 46).
All of these small remnant areas are low in comparison to area 39.
eight areas in sections 3/9/10-70N-34W
From Lenox, go south on N-64 to Route J-20. Turn right and drive west on J-20
for 9 miles to Route 148. Go north on Route 148 for 2 miles and turn left onto
110th Street. Drive west 0.6 mile to a gate and park. This area (47) spills
across the road but is mostly contained in the bean field to your north.
Continue hiking north to the southern reach of a large boomerang-shaped area
(48) or you may prefer to follow the half-section fence line north (east side).
This area supports both beans and corn and has definite rise within the contour line.
The northeastern reach of this area can be explored by hiking west from
Route 148. Continue west on 110th Street to Jerico Road. There are some
abandoned buildings here and a church. Park at the church and enter the
cornfield to the southeast to visit area 49. Next, cross the street and hike
into the cornfield to inspect five tiny contours (areas 50-54) that are strung
out 0.75 mile to the southwest. None of these spots has any rise to them in
comparison to the previous three areas.
sixteen areas along Forest Avenue
Return to the intersection of Routes 148 and J-20 (130th Street). Drive west 5
miles on J-20 to Forest Avenue. Turn right and go 1 mile north on Forest to the
intersection with 120th Street near an abandoned farmhouse. Park here and walk
west on a muddy road to the crest. Area 55 straddles the road here, and is
higher than the smaller area (56) to the south in the yard behind some barns and
a house (I visited this yard, but no one was home). There is another small area (57)
in the cornfield across the street but it is also lower than area 55.
Continue north 0.25 mile and park on the 1/4 section line. Hike west along the
fence line a short distance to a contour (58) which reaches into the corn and
hay fields on both sides of the fence. From here, you may want to hike directly
north for 0.15 mile to visit a tiny spot (area 59) in the hay. You can also
return to your car, move farther north to the half-section line, and hike
southwest from a gate into the hayfield. Just north of the half-section line is
another small area (60) that straddles the road. As you continue north,
there are two more tiny areas (61 and 62) just west of the road in the cornfield.
At the intersection with 110th Street go left if it isn’t too muddy, otherwise park
and hike west to the road crest. There are two areas here, one to the south
(corn) and one to the north (beans). The southern area (63) is higher than the
northern area (64), and appears higher than the four "remnant" areas (59-62) to
the south, and two small "remnant" areas to the north (areas 65 and 66). From
area 64, keep walking north-northwest 0.3 mile to visit these two "northern remnants".
Return to your car and drive north 0.5 mile to the half-section line
and park. The fence is down here so you can walk west into the bean and
cornfields with ease. A short distance west is a fairly obvious area (67) and
southwest another few hundred feet is another smaller area (68) in the bean field.
From area 67, hike northwest 0.3 mile to another obvious contour (area 69)
in the cornfield. Continue northwest toward the power lines to a final tiny
spot (area 70). These last two areas can also be accessed by going north on
Forest to a gate just west of Tim Grey’s house. Enter the field and go
southwest to area 69, then northwest to area 70.
END!