| Van Wert County, Ohio |
| Original Status: | 19 areas 1 to 1 3/4 miles SW of Monticello, 17/18-4S-4E (860+ ft.) 1 area 1/4 mi. SE of Mount Zion Church, N 1/2 NE 1/4, 31-3S-2E (860+ ft.) |
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| LiDAR Analysis Result: | No significant changes. |
Link to Trip Reports (cohp.org)
The discussion for Van Wert county will start with the lone point about four miles southwest of Ohio City, along OH Route 81. This is near the Mount Zion Church indicated on the original topo.
The area in question shows up well in the DEM data, and a maximum elevation of 859.4 feet is given.
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 Topo |
 LiDAR DEM |
While examining the area discussed above, a higher spot was found about a mile to the northwest. It will be listed here solely in the interest of completeness.
The area is very small, and peaks out at 866.9 feet. There are no signs of the area on the topo map, and the aerial imagery shows well that it is artificial. It appears a small building (perhaps a picnic shelter or a shed) has been built on the artificial hill, adjacent to a small pond. I wonder if the homeowners are aware that their creation is the highest point in the county?
This area does not need to be visited, but it sure looks pleasant enough.
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 LiDAR DEM |
The remainder of the areas in Van Wert County -- and there are plenty of them -- are located near the triple point with Mercer and Auglaize Counties. This is about 5 miles west-southwest of Spencerville. Van Wert county is on the northeast corner of this triple point. This is an extremely flat area.
The Schwab and Wedekind trip reports are essential reading for attempts at this county, and the Schwab numbering system will be used for this discussion. On the DEM images, the thick contours that cut through the county line are 860 foot contours.
Obviously, the DEM data is fairly nebulous. However, thanks to the aforementioned trip reports, some corroborated evidence can be used to suggest the highest of the areas. Areas 2, 3, 4, 6, and 10 from the first large section of the Schwab report show up the best on the DEM data -- with elevations of over 860 feet. Area 10, along the woods in the north, may have some contamination from artificial dirt piles. With that said, it should be noted that the DEM data provides a maximum elevation in Area 10 of 862.3 feet. This is the highest elevation in the vicinity.
Area 12 (closer to McConnell Road) also shows up above 860 feet.
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 LiDAR DEM |
This section will detail the areas east of McConnell Road.
The edges of the pond near the county line raise above 860 feet. Obviously, these are artificial.
The DEM indicates areas above 860 feet associated with (or at least near) areas 17, 18, and 19. The highest point indicated on the DEM is in area 18, with an elevation of 861.7 feet near the county line.
Highpointers would probably be best advised to visit all of the areas -- including the Mount Zion Church area. The actual differences in elevation are simply too small to use exactly. However, the DEM data does help suggest which areas are likely higher in elevation, and the most worthy of a hiker's attention.
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 Topo |
 LiDAR DEM |
Link: Ohio LiDAR COHP Analysis main page.
Link: My COHP homepage.