Category: History
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Border Pirates
I’d always thought of piracy as a 17th Century anachronism. Then things got weird off the coast of Somalia a few years ago. Even so I considered it a distant condition borne of a failed state two oceans away. Recent reports of North American pirates have simply bewildered me. I never imagined it existed outside…
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Adjacent Counties, Same Name, Different States
We’ve had a lively interactive discussion within the comments section of the recent article, “For Aficionados of Counties.” This doesn’t surprise me. Many of our regular readers are indeed aficionados of counties. In fact I seem to have cornered a great deal of the market on geo-oddities at this tertiary level of US government, not…
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Orlando: Four Towns, One Name
Four towns. Three of them fade into the background of rural obscurity. And one clearly doesn’t belong with the others. Most people know only the outlier, the one in Florida, the one with the tourists and the mouse. Orlando. I imagine few people realize or care about the other towns named Orlando. However, each had…
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Eruvin
Have you ever posted something with a little trepidation? Perhaps feeling there’s a likelihood that you’re going to screw it up? I’m just going to start this off right away by providing an upfront apology to anyone of the Jewish faith. I’ll do my best to focus on geography. Hopefully a knowledgeable readership will assist…
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Charting the Split
I recently recorded a question of amazing specificity, what I’d call a hyper-local geographic oddity that’s probably of interest only to a handful of people. Fortunately I’m one of those very few souls and maybe you are too. I’ll tie it in with a little history to widen the audience just a bit, so stick…
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The Long Drive
There was a time when I’d drive a thousand miles straight. Back then I’d stop only for gas and food and not give it a second thought. Unfortunately those days are long gone. I can make it only six to nine hours with kids in the car. Even alone I wouldn’t have the stamina to…
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Water Island
Water Island? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Logically it seems that it should either be water or an island. How could it be both? Actually, it’s not a contradiction. It makes perfect sense at least for the Water Island that’s part of the United States Virgin Islands (map). Early seafarers used its name as a beacon,…
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Nation, State or County?
The sovereignty of Native American nations in the United States presents a complicated set of issues, wrapped in various viewpoints and interwoven with the past, present and future. However, this entry doesn’t discuss the historical or political situation, it points to current geography. Please excuse me as I sidestep the sensitivities while focusing on boundaries…
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Chugwater
There’s no telling what might register on my mind when I examine a map closely. Anything out-of-the-ordinary will jump to the forefront. It may be an odd shape like the perfect circle of Corona, a stranded bit of land like Carter Lake or a strange town name like Yeehaw Junction. It doesn’t matter. If it…
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Northernmost England. Maybe.
Berwick-upon-Tweed is the northernmost town in England. However, due to geography and history it also holds a lot in common with Scotland. First, notice it’s peculiar location along the River Tweed: specifically the northern side of the River Tweed. How did a little piece of England find its way to the opposite side of a…