| Ottawa County, Ohio |
| Original Status: | 2 areas 1/2 mile west of Russian Cemetery (680+ ft.) | |
| LiDAR Analysis Result: | 1 area eliminated. |
Link to Trip Reports (cohp.org)
My rating for this county was extremely uncertain at first. A January 3, 2009 visit to the site by Bob Schwab has helped clear things up significantly.
The highest points depicted on the original topo are two 680+ ft contours just south of Route 163 near Lakeside. However, these contours are located in an area that has been heavily quarried.
I should note that there are numerous other locations in the quarry with LiDAR DEM elevations of over 690 feet. However, all of the other areas are very clearly artificial. This is depicted not only in the aerial photography, but by the original topo -- which shows that these areas are located in places the original topo had marked as 30-80 feet lower in elevation. The topo also shows indications of "mine tailings" and quarry activity, which further supports this claim.
I will focus on analysis of the two 680+ ft contours listed in the original topo, since these were the only possible locations for the county's true natural high point.
 Aerial |
 Topo |
 LiDAR DEM |
The northernmost of the two areas is roughly circular. It has been bisected west-to-east by a quarry road that is not depicted on the original topo, but is obvious on aerial imagery. The LiDAR DEM seems to indicate that there may be some natural land in the northwest corner of the original contour. Bob Schwab's visit to the site confirms that this is the case, and that the northwest corner of the original contour is likely the true high point. This area in question is the large 680+ ft contour on the left side of the DEM image below. However, the maximum elevation given by the DEM for this area is 689.7 feet -- a bit than the 680+ ft contour drawn on the original topo. This area is probably not entirely natural either, but it is the closest thing to it.
The areas along the bank of the quarry road are very obviously artificial. For the record, the maximum elevation on the southern bank of the road is 691.4 feet.
 Aerial |
 Topo |
 LiDAR DEM |
Bob Schwab's visit confirms that the ground in this area seems to be in a heavily mined area. Despite what has appeared in the LiDAR DEM, the location in question does not exist as a high point candidate.
The original discussion is posted below, and can be discounted.
The southernmost of the two areas is a sharper north-south running ridge. Trip reports and the LiDAR DEM indicate that most of this ridge has been mined away. However, a peculiar area on the DEM is depicted at the far north end of the original topo. The DEM shows a very steep ridge in this area, with a maximum value of 697.1 feet -- almost 20 feet above that of the contour on the original topo. While that would seem to indicate that the point is artificial, two factors make it hard to ignore. First -- the hill appears to be wooded, which would give some indication that it hasn't been fully involved in quarry activity. Second -- it's located on top of an original highpoint contour.
Even still, I would think that the southern point is probably artificial, given its extreme elevation difference from the original topo. However, I cannot rule it out entirely at this point. Even if it's an artificially-raised area, it could be sitting on top of natural land that was once the original high point of the county. I believe the status of the county hinges on this point, and hopefully some further investigation can be done.
Judging from trip reports, the northern area likely contains some natural ground at "believable" elevations. Unless something definitive can be found about the southern area, I will -- rather uncertainly -- suggest that visiting the remnant of the northern area (as has been done in prior trip reports) is sufficient to claim the county.
 Aerial |
 Topo |
 LiDAR DEM |
Link: Ohio LiDAR COHP Analysis main page.
Link: My COHP homepage.