Twelve Mile Circle – An Appreciation of Unusual Places

Twelve Mile Circle

  • Greatest Time Zone Jump

    People seem more interested in time zone anomalies than many other quirks I discuss. I know this because I get lots of random one-time visitors to the Twelve Mile Circle via search engines. Invariably they are searching these kinds of queries. I like them too, but I try not to overwhelm my regular readership with…

  • Centre of Australia

    Do you notice anything remarkable about this little patch? It seems like this must be the middle of nowhere, just a sea of red soil and desert scrub removed from any hospitable place. However, according to some calculations, this is the centre of Australia. Am I the last one on the planet to know that…

  • Cajun Cars

    The United States does not have an official language. English predominates of course, but other languages prevailed in certain places as they have for centuries. The Cajun dialect of French as spoken in parts of Louisiana is a prime example. CODOFIL Cajun culture intertwines with Louisiana’s identity, personality and heritage. In recognition the state legislature…

  • The Wisconsin Highpoint

    Highpointing makes me feel conflicted. I love highpoints conceptually and I have nothing but the greatest admiration for those who collect them. I’ve featured some of these people in the past and of course I’m not beyond partaking myself whether at the state or county level. Highpoints, quite simply, represent perfect fodder for discussion on…

  • The 45X90 Spot

    A spot in the middle of a soybean field in north-central Wisconsin marks a confluence of great significance to people who appreciate strange geography. Two invisible lines cross near the small town of Poniatowski; one representing 45 degrees north latitude and one representing 90 degrees west longitude. The importance of this particular latitude is perhaps…

  • Island Isolation doesn’t Require an Island

    Juneau is located in Alaska’s southeastern panhandle and serves as the state capital. No roads connect Juneau to the outside world even though it’s clearly part of mainland North America. Access is by sea or by air only. Rather than describe the situation it’s easier to show it. Notice how Juneau hugs a narrow seaside…

  • Split in Two: St. Martin Parish

    St. Martin Parish, Louisiana poses an odd situation (map). Neighboring Iberia Parish jabs straight through the middle of St. Martin and cleaves it into two completely different portions separated by several miles. The St. Martin Parish Clerk of the Court explains that, “In 1868, Iberia Parish was formed from parts of St. Martin and St.…

  • Four Corners

    Four Corners is a unique spot in the United States. It’s the only U.S. location where four states join together with a common boundary – a quadripoint. Thus, a visitor can touch Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona simultaneously. Maps of the area show this situation clearly and anyone can get there by automobile with…

  • Walk Across the Mississippi River

    Can any mortal human walk across the Mississippi River? Yes. It’s easy to cross the Mississippi at its source. The Mississippi River begins its long journey in northern Minnesota at Lake Itasca. Here the Mississippi starts as a small stream. Just about anyone can stroll right across it using conveniently placed stepping-stones. This humble beginning…

  • Inconvenient Rivers

    Those pesky rivers! People go to great trouble to designate a river as a boundary, decide who has ownership or how it will be split, draw all those maps, and then the river has the audacity to jump its bank and form a new channel. Does this mean the boundary automatically changes too? Of course…

Latest Comments

  3. Osage Orange trees are fairly common in Northern Delaware. I assumed they were native plants. As kids we definitely called…

  4. Enough of them in Northern Delaware that they don’t stand out at all until the fruit drops in the fall.…

  5. That was its original range before people spread it all around. Now it’s in lots of different places, including Oklahoma.