Miami County High Point Trip Report

nine areas including spot elevation 899 feet (890+ ft)

Date: January 13, 2002
Author: Bob Schwab

From the intersection of US 31 and Indiana 25 just south of Rochester, travel south on US 31 for 7.25 miles to 1350 N Road (Macy exit). Turn left on 1350 N Road and go east a little more than 2 miles to a stop sign in the small town of Macy. Turn right on McKee and drive south 0.7 mile through the town as the road passes another stop sign, jogs sharply left, then right and eventually comes to an intersection with 1300N Road. Turn left and drive east on 1300 N Road for 3.5 miles to where 100 E Road comes in from the south. As you approach 100 E Road, notice the farmhouse (871 Macy-Gilead Road) and large field to your right (south).

The 890 foot contour of area 1 spills across 100 E road from west to east but the spot elevation at 899 feet is out in the field east of a large electric tower and roughly south of some farm buildings. If no one is home at the farmhouse to grant permission to enter the large field, you can drive south on 100 E Road for about 0.2 mile to the road crest and stand on the bank on either side of the road.

Area 2 is roughly 0.2 mile east of the road crest on a wooded knoll. As you hike across this muddy bean field, aim for the spot where the corner of the field intrudes into the woods. The high spot is just behind this field corner. Hand level checks indicate that area 2 is lower than area 1.

Return to your vehicle and drive south on 100 E Road to the intersection of 1250 N Road. Turn left on 1250 N Road, drive east 0.25 mile and park. Hike north on the west side of a fence line to high ground (area 3) near the back corner of a field. Most of this area is to the east of the fence in a posted tree farm, but there is a low spot in the fence if you desire to investigate further. The high spot appears to be a few hundred feet east of the fence in the middle of a dense stand of young pines.

Return to your car and continue east another 0.25 mile on 1250 N Road to a sign for the Claude Berger Tree Farm, Woods # 24. The tree farm is posted, but this is an access road to some farm fields beyond the tree farm. Go north on the access road 0.15 mile to where the road crests. This is area 4, and the highest spot appears to be east of the road, near the base of a large electric tower.

Continue north on the access road as it drops down to a low area, rises, turns right, and comes to a fork in the road just north of a small pond and south of a field. Take the right fork into the woods. The path initially goes east, but soon curves to the left (north). Watch for a slight rise in the woods to your right near a few large trees with much limb debris around them. I used my GPS to verify that this small high spot is area 5.

Return to your car and continue east on 1250 N Road for 0.5 mile to where the road bends sharply north. Continue north another 0.25 mile on 200 E Road to a long drive to your left (12692 200 N Road). Ed Tarter lives here and area 6 is up in the open field to the southeast. The contour area is surrounded by trees on three sides but the best access is from Ed's driveway. He told me that the property was really owned by Lucille Personett, but he gave me permission to enter the pasture. I found the highest spot was toward the western edge of the contour where the tree lines come together.

To visit the southernmost three areas in Miami County, drive west on 1250 N Road to the intersection with 50 E Road. Go south on 50 E Road for 1.5 miles to the junction with 1100 N Road. Turn right (west) and immediately turn left into a long driveway to a farm and house (419 E 1100 N Road). This is where I met Lawrence See in his milking parlor. He is a long-time resident of the area and knows his farm sits on high ground in Miami County. To the north in a cornfield across 1100 N Road is spot elevation at 898 feet and area 7.

To the east 0.5 mile out in the field is area 8, and the large contour that stretches west and southwest from Mr. See's house is area 9. Mr. See thought that his large alfalfa field (area 9) was higher than the cornfield to the north (area 7). Hand-level sightings and backsightings seem to support his belief, and also reveal that area 8 is lower than either area 7 or area 9. The high spot in area 9 seems to be very close to (40° 55.468' N, 86° 4.225' W), and the high spot in area 7 is somewhat north and east of the 898-foot spot elevation mark. The elevations of these two areas are very close, so future visitors should bring their hand levels and make their own judgments.