AND, OUR COUNTY’S
HIGHEST ELEVATION IS--
...Well, this story began when I overheard two guys debating the location of the highest point in Richland County.
One was vehement in his assertion it was the top of Mt. Jeez near Malabar Farm. The other was arguing for the Mansfield airport’s lofty elevation.
Both were wrong.
I stayed silent in their private debate—but, could remember that site being just a chip shot southwest of Twin Lake’s Golf Course in county maps from the early 80s when I was a commissioner.
That elevation was then set at 1,505 feet above sea level.
My search for current data led me to Mike Cecil a long-time friend who serves as a project manager in the Richland County Engineer’s office.
...and I learned, using modern tools and technology of the survey trade, that site has now been measured to be in a young orchard on the west side of Lexington-Ontario Rd., just a wee bit north of the entrance to Apple Hill Orchard.
It is located there within the 1511 foot contour interval on the county’s topographical map.
There is a US Coast and Geodetic Survey monument on the east side of Lex-Ontario Road just north of the orchard’s parking area with an elevation measured at a very precise1,509.97 feet.
I found a comparison of these numbers to be both a testament to more modern GPS technology and a salute to the high accuracy of older measuring techniques.
Prior to a site visit with Mike he introduced me to Kevin Payne a deputy engineer and chief surveyor in the engineer’s office. We had a delightfully, technical discussion on how such elevations are determined these days.
My head tingled as I sought to understand phrases such as: derived deflections, or, horizontal coordinates being established by classical geodetic methods.
Kevin and Mike talked of orthometric heights and LaPlace’s Equation like ordinary folks would discuss a pizza order.
Today’s accuracy of survey-type measuring techniques is down to ¼ inch horizontally and 1/10 of a foot vertically.
In that nicely rambling discussion I also learned the lowest elevation in the county is on the south side of Base Line Rd., west of Plymouth and near the Crawford County line. It is in a creek ravine at an elevation of 940 feet above sea level.
During my visit I also had a nice chat with another old friend and engineer Jim Lichtenwalter and, in discussing county watersheds learned there is a mere 8 feet of fall along the Black Fork River from Shelby to Charles Mill Lake.
There is more fall than that in a creek that crosses the narrow dimension of my 9 acres in the hills northeast of Bellville. No wonder that area up there is prone to flooding. But, that is another story.
As we wrapped up work at the site of the highest elevation, Mike chuckled as he explained his red and white striped steel pole (visible in the top photo), once a fundamental tool of the survey trade, was known as a range rod used for tangent alignment—and shaking the bushes for snakes.
“These days I mostly use it like a cane; to help me get up from ground level work,” he quipped.
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By the way, the elevation of Mt. Jeez is a mere 1,295 feet and the official elevation of the Mansfield airport is 1,297 feet.
The highest elevation in Ohio is 1,549 feet—just east of Bellefontaine.
The Old Timers in the photo above are a survey crew, thought to be from the early 20th century. In those days they had members assigned as the foreman, instrument men, chain men, and axe men for clearing sight lines. Today it is not inconceivable that one man with modern equipment could accomplish the same task. That’s Mike and Kevin working behind the photo in the county engineer’s office.
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