RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Arkansas >> Cross County >> McDonald >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).

When in McDonald, we use the following websites to find information relevant to McDonald and the surrounding area.

  • Weather ...
  • Astronomy & Satellites ...
    • Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
    • To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for McDonald:
    • 35.270087, -90.602052
    • Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
    • Open the Heavens-Above website centered on McDonald
  • Bird Watching ...
    • We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
    • The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Cross County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Cross County
    • Since McDonald is near Crittenden County and also Saint Francis County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Crittenden County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Saint Francis County
  • Waymarking ...
    • Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
    • Open the Waymark.com report for McDonald

Communities Also Named McDonald ...

We found 34 communities that are also named McDonald.

There is one other community in Arkansas that is also named McDonald.

Beyond Arkansas, we know of 33 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 33 communities, 33 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Located In Arkansas ...
    • Jackson County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Arkansas community of McDonald [Jackson County].
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Dallas County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Alabama community of McDonald [Dallas County].
    • California
      • Marin County
      • This McDonald is located in Marin County and lies 1,790 miles [2,880.7 km]<2> to the west northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Marin County community of McDonald.
    • Florida
      • Orange County
      • This McDonald is located in Orange County and lies 696 miles [1,120.1 km]<2> to the southeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Orange County community of McDonald.
    • Georgia
      • Clarke County
      • This McDonald is located in Clarke County and lies 417 miles [671.1 km]<2> to the east of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clarke County community of McDonald.
      • Thomas County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Georgia community of McDonald [Thomas County].
    • Kansas
      • Rawlins County
      • This McDonald is located in Rawlins County and lies 666 miles [1,071.8 km]<2> to the west northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Rawlins County community of McDonald.
    • Louisiana
      • Avoyelles Parish
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Louisiana community of McDonald [Avoyelles Parish].
    • Manitoba
      • This McDonald lies 1,071 miles [1,723.6 km]<2> to the north northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
    • Maryland
      • Frederick County
      • This McDonald is located in Frederick County and lies 790 miles [1,271.4 km]<2> to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Frederick County community of McDonald.
    • Michigan
      • Van Buren County
      • This McDonald is located in Van Buren County and lies 538 miles [865.8 km]<2> to the north northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Van Buren County community of McDonald.
    • Minnesota
      • Polk County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Minnesota community of McDonald [Polk County].
    • Mississippi
      • Covington County
      • This McDonald is located in Covington County and lies 258 miles [415.2 km]<2> to the south southeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Covington County community of McDonald.
      • Neshoba County
      • This McDonald is located in Neshoba County and lies 198 miles [318.7 km] to the south southeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Neshoba County community of McDonald.
    • Missouri
      • Barry County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Barry County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Barry County community of McDonald.
      • Carter County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Missouri community of McDonald [Carter County].
    • Montana
      • Powell County
      • This McDonald is located in Powell County and lies 1,382 miles [2,224.1 km]<2> to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Powell County community of McDonald.
      • Sanders County
      • This McDonald is located in Sanders County and lies 1,481 miles [2,383.4 km] to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sanders County community of McDonald.
    • New Hampshire
      • Hillsborough County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the New Hampshire community of McDonald [Hillsborough County].
    • New Jersey
      • Burlington County
      • This McDonald is located in Burlington County and lies 933 miles [1,501.5 km]<2> to the east northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Burlington County community of McDonald.
    • New Mexico
      • Lea County
      • This McDonald is located in Lea County and lies 740 miles [1,190.9 km]<2> to the west of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lea County community of McDonald.
    • North Carolina
      • Robeson County
      • This McDonald is located in Robeson County and lies 648 miles [1,042.9 km]<2> to the east of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Robeson County community of McDonald.
    • Ohio
      • Butler County
      • This community is historic<3> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of McDonald [Butler County].
      • Hardin County
      • This community is historic and although located in Hardin County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Hardin County community of McDonald.
      • Muskingum County
      • This McDonald is located in Muskingum County and lies 574 miles [923.8 km]<2> to the northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Muskingum County community of McDonald.
      • Trumbull County
      • This McDonald is located in Trumbull County and lies 672 miles [1,081.5 km] to the northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Trumbull County community of McDonald.
    • Oregon
      • Sherman County
      • This McDonald is located in Sherman County and lies 1,708 miles [2,748.8 km]<2> to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sherman County community of McDonald.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Washington County
      • This McDonald is located in Washington County and lies 665 miles [1,070.2 km]<2> to the northeast of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of McDonald.
    • Tennessee
      • Bradley County
      • This McDonald is located in Bradley County and lies 317 miles [510.2 km]<2> to the east of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bradley County community of McDonald.
    • Texas
      • Montague County
      • This McDonald is located in Montague County and lies 428 miles [688.8 km]<2> to the west southwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Montague County community of McDonald.
    • Utah
      • Davis County
      • This McDonald is located in Davis County and lies 1,220 miles [1,963.4 km]<2> to the west northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Davis County community of McDonald.
    • Washington
      • Grant County
      • This McDonald is located in Grant County and lies 1,682 miles [2,706.9 km]<2> to the northwest of the McDonald that is located in Cross County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grant County community of McDonald.
      • Lewis County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Washington community of McDonald [Lewis County].
    • Wyoming
      • Big Horn County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<1> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Wyoming community of McDonald [Big Horn County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near McDonald ...

As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.

  • Birdeye
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Birdeye is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdeye
  • Coldwater
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Coldwater is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
  • Dixie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dixie is located in Crittenden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
  • Flag Lake Crossing
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Flag Lake Crossing is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flag Lake Crossing
  • Love Place
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Love Place is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Love Place
  • Pleasant Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Princedale
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Princedale is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princedale
  • Rose Place
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Rose Place is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Place
  • Three Forks
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Three Forks is located in Crittenden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
  • Twist
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Twist is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twist
  • Twist Ferry
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Twist Ferry is located in Cross County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twist Ferry
  • Wildcat ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wildcat is located in Crittenden County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildcat

How Far From McDonald to ...

We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as McDonald to various places of note, such as the White House.

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in McDonald and extending to:

  • Wynne, which is the Seat of Cross County, lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<2> to the west southwest. If you could walk a straight line from McDonald to Wynne, with an average speed<4> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
  • Little Rock, which is the State Capital of Arkansas, lies 100 miles [160.9 km] to the west southwest (WSW). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take less than two hours, a buggy would take three full days and walking would take 6 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 787 miles [1,266.6 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving would take just about two full days, a buggy would take 31 days and walking would take 45 days.
  • The shortest distance<5> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,619 miles [10,652.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,345 miles [11,820.6 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,221 miles [8,402.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>'

Footnotes ...

<1>If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer as a placeholder. As we find more information about that community, it will be added to our Gazetteer.

Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Mile's to see Pete ... Mile's is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.

Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.

Also keep in mind that McDonald could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- McDonald) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about McDonald, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day.
<5>The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from McDonald to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McDonald. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.2701, Longitude: -90.6021       In this case, the coordinates for McDonald have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 316.149 degrees.
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 312.388 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.539 degrees.