It all started when I saw a query for “Twelve Mile Indiana” recorded in my web access logs. That’s not too strange. After all, this is Twelve Mile Circle. Someone typed the name of an obscure farm town into a search engine and out popped my site. That’s plausible. Misdirected links land here all the time.
But then I got to thinking about this so-called town of Twelve Mile (map). It had no obvious connection to the Twelve Mile Circle other than its name. It’s a third of the way across the continent. I figured I might learn a few facts but probably nothing much useful, or for that matter interesting.
A Closer Look
I looked at the obligatory Wikipedia entry to gain an initial perspective. It’s an unincorporated rural community with about 1,100 people in Cass County. It has an elevation of 801 feet. Also, it has an annual Christmas Pageant. OK, nothing too remarkable so far.
Nobody is exactly sure how it got its name. Even so, the Wikipedia article offered some tantalizing possibilities.
“Its name is sometimes said to come from its location that is approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the cities of Logansport, Peru and Rochester, but this is an old wives’ tale. The town was located on the twelve-mile marker of the railroad that the town grew around. The eastern portion of the town was formerly known as Hen Peck, but as the two small towns grew they became one town that was referred to as Twelve Mile.”
I loved that Hen Peck reference. Ordinarily this little nugget would be more than enough to amuse me. Hen Peck is even funnier than Twelve Mile. I could write an entire entry around that name with complete satisfaction, but then everything took a strange turn.
Lawnmower Racing
The oldest lawnmower race in the United States probably started in Twelve Mile. They call it the “Twelve Mile 500.” I think I located the actual track on satellite view (map).
The local Lions Club started sponsoring this annual Fourth of July Race in 1963, switching to a Grand Prix style in 1970. No less an authority than the U. S. Lawn Mower Racing Association recognizes Twelve Mile’s exalted status. Yes, this is a real organization and people are totally serious about their competitions with speeding lawn mowers.
Ironically, despite the name, neither twelve nor 500 applies to the race. Each heat runs for sixty laps on a quarter mile track for a total of fifteen miles. The machines themselves reach speeds of about 30 miles per hour. It has drivers and pit crews just like the big leagues.
The Twelve Mile 500 gets some attention in the local press such as in the Logansport Pharos Tribune. Also, enthusiasts and participants themselves post photographs of the event, including coverage of the 2005 race in a blog called The Bever Dam.
If you know how much I liked oddball racing events like Demoliton Derby, you can imagine how much I now want to see a lawn mower race! This may be a different Twelve Mile but it certainly deserves abundant recognition.
UPDATE (July 9, 2008): I’ve just been informed that there is now a Twelve Mile 500 Riding Lawn Mower Race page on Facebook. Woo-hoo! Check it out!
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