Lauderdale County High Point Trip Report
eleven areas (660+ ft with 20 ft contour intervals)
Date: June 25, 2002
Author: Fred Dale
These eleven areas in this report are all on the same "massif" (so to speak), on the south side of Meridian, Mississippi.
There are some nice views, with heights close to 400 feet above the bottoms to the north.
This link
shows all eleven points.
stop A (three areas on the west side of highway near intersection of Sections 29/30/31/32)
# 1 - Sections 29/32 containing "BM 668": Use old US Highway 45 (now called Miss. Highway 145) to go
south from its intersection with I-20 in Meridian. It fairly steeply ascends immediately from the interstate.
Go up to near the top of the rise and turn right (west) onto Crestview Circle. Park at the TV station on the left.
The semi-wooded lot just behind the station has the hp, near a tower guy-wire grounding.
I didn't really look for the BM. This one is likely to be the cohp I'd guess.
# 2 - Sections 29/30 - minuscule area: Walk west from the TV station to 1170 Crestview, and/or the house
on either side, all three of which seem to have their yards' hps about out front. I visited all three.
Nice home site views.
#3 - Section 30: Palatial hilltop home at 1203 Crestview, the hp at about the foot of the front steps.
Note that the southern limb of the (Crestview) circle is abandoned and planted in lawn at about the entrance to
1203's driveway.
stop B (four areas on east side of highway adjacent to Group A)
#4 - Section 32, a stone's throw south of the two buildings shown on the topo: There is an east-going road
(I think it is Skyland Drive) off of 145 a hair south of Crestview. It has a large new-construction church there
at the intersection. Park thereabouts. On the south side of the lot, adjacent to Highway 145, is a road
maintenance lot, obviously excavated flat, and containing a remnant of the target contour at the tree line on
the south side, up the low borrowscape. Sight leveling suggested striking this one from contention.
#5 - Section 32, "Radio Tower": Walk or drive to the TV station on the east side of the chain-linked antenna
(which itself is on the east side of the church). Behind the station, at its southwest corner, is the apex of the
hill the tower sits on, fortunately external to the fence to the west, in a wisteria tangle in a small wooded lot.
A work crew was present at the front gate of the enclosure as I departed the area, I did get to enter the enclosure.
Sight leveling from various points within and without shows this particular hp to be outside
forbidden ground (albeit a bit thorny).
#6 - Section 29, obviously from the map, a neighborhood: Drive on east on the aforementioned road around
the 90-degree turn to the north to the height of land, now on Mountain View Drive. Late afternoon
homeowners were pleasantly interested in my sight-leveling of the front yards of 3248, 3222, and 3182
(south to north, all adjacent on the west side of the street). Probably the stump-base of the first one, on the
north end of front yard. Be sure you check out the view at the north end of this dead-end street.
#7 - Section 32, Northeast 1/4: Note. The nearby hp in the northwest 1/4 of Section 33 should be accessed
separately due to new highway construction. See below, #11. Back on Skyland Drive, continue to its end,
now pointed south. Park on dirt end and bag the hp along the crest of the excavation bluff, which is easily
obtained with a brief walk south on the dirt Skyland continuation, basically an ATV trail here. High ground,
which possibly contains the contour's original hp, is easily found nearby, northeast along the gentle
excavation slope-crest. You'll see the Section 33 hp to the southeast across the new Highway 45 far below.
Drive there later.
stop C (two spots across the highway from one another in the west 1/2 of Section 32)
#8 - west spot: Go south on 145 from the Groups A & B vicinity about a half mile, and park on the west side
of the highway at a small communications business. The hp seems to be at or near a mowed area in the
kudzu vines near a tower guy-wire, roughly between the road and the building. Sight leveling to the next
("E spot") point eliminates this one from contention.
#9 - east spot: Partially excavated, though the high ground may have survived. Adjacent to the hwy., across
the road from the W spot.
stop D (one spot)
#10 - northwest corner of Section 5: Another half mile south of Stop C, on Highway 145. Go past Mount
Pleasant Baptist Church. Barely south of the white water tower marked "Clarkdale Bulldogs", this hp is on
the east side of highway. The map-indicated road going east is obscure and almost unused. On the map,
this tiny contour is under the "45" highway designation. Thorny a bit, some poison ivy underfoot,
but simple, right beside the highway.
stop E (one spot)
#11 - northwest 1/4 Section 33: Continue a short trot south on 145 to the intersection with the new US
Highway 45, and turn northbound. It's about two miles to a saddle from which you should see the
excavated nature of the replanted land on either side of the 4-lane. Stop, park on the shoulder and head up
the talus-like limestone/sandstone slope to the top, an elevation gain of a hundred feet or so. The hp seemed
to be along the hill crest which is mowed due to a buried communication cable up there, so no real
bushwhacking is involved. Sight leveling to Point #7, about 600 yards northwest, was indeterminate.
On-site GPS coordinates (NAD 27 datum):
#1 (32° 19.63' N, 88° 41.51' W)
#2 (32° 19.70' N, 88° 41.57' W)
#3 (32° 19.69' N, 88° 41.60' W) - bottom of driveway
#4 (32° 19.39' N, 88° 41.36' W)
#5 (32° 19.56' N, 88° 41.25' W)
#6 (32° 19.79' N, 88° 41.00' W)
#7 (32° 19.54' N, 88° 40.73' W)
#8 (32° 19.15' N, 88° 41.50' W)
#9 (32° 19.18' N, 88° 41.47' W)
#10 (32° 18.65' N, 88° 41.50' W)
#11 (32° 19.37' N, 88° 40.46' W)