RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Iowa >> Warren County >> Clarkson >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...

Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in Clarkson, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Clarkson 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 Clarkson:
    • 41.334438, -93.452435
    • 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 Clarkson
  • 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 Warren County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Warren County
    • Since Clarkson is near Polk County and also Marion County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Polk County
    • Open the eBird sighting report for Marion 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 Clarkson

Communities Also Named Clarkson ...

We found 22 communities that are also named Clarkson.

Within Iowa, the name Clarkson is unique.

Beyond Iowa, we know of 22 communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these 22 communities, 21 are located in the United States and one is in Canada.

  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Alabama
      • Cullman 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 Clarkson [Cullman County].
    • Arkansas
      • Sharp 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 Clarkson [Sharp County].
    • California
      • Kern 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 California community of Clarkson [Kern County].
    • Idaho
      • Bingham County
      • This Clarkson is located in Bingham County and lies 975 miles [1,569.1 km]<2> to the west northwest of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Bingham County community of Clarkson.
    • Illinois
      • Wayne 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 Illinois community of Clarkson [Wayne County].
    • Kansas
      • Riley 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 Kansas community of Clarkson [Riley County].
    • Kentucky
      • Grayson County
      • This Clarkson is located in Grayson County and lies 467 miles [751.6 km]<2> to the east southeast of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Grayson County community of Clarkson.
    • Maryland
      • Howard County
      • This Clarkson is located in Howard County and lies 879 miles [1,414.6 km]<2> to the east of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Howard County community of Clarkson.
    • Mississippi
      • Webster County
      • This Clarkson is located in Webster County and lies 581 miles [935 km]<2> to the south southeast of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Webster County community of Clarkson.
    • Missouri
      • Lawrence County
      • This Clarkson is located in Lawrence County and lies 297 miles [478 km]<2> to the south of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Lawrence County community of Clarkson.
    • Nebraska
      • Colfax County
      • This Clarkson is located in Colfax County and lies 191 miles [307.4 km]<2> to the west of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Colfax County community of Clarkson.
    • New York
      • Monroe County
      • This Clarkson is located in Monroe County and lies 802 miles [1,290.7 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of Clarkson.
    • Ohio
      • Belmont County
      • This community is historic<3> and although located in Belmont County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Belmont County community of Clarkson.
      • Columbiana County
      • This Clarkson is located in Columbiana County and lies 669 miles [1,076.7 km]<2> to the east of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Columbiana County community of Clarkson.
    • Oklahoma
      • Payne 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 Oklahoma community of Clarkson [Payne County].
    • Ontario
      • This Clarkson lies 720 miles [1,158.7 km]<2> to the east northeast of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
    • South Carolina
      • Chester 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 South Carolina community of Clarkson [Chester County].
    • South Dakota
      • Turner 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 South Dakota community of Clarkson [Turner County].
    • Tennessee
      • Washington 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 Tennessee community of Clarkson [Washington County].
    • Texas
      • Milam County
      • This Clarkson is located in Milam County and lies 739 miles [1,189.3 km]<2> to the south southwest of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Milam County community of Clarkson.
    • Virginia
      • Culpeper County
      • This Clarkson is located in Culpeper County and lies 836 miles [1,345.4 km]<2> to the east of the Clarkson that is located in Warren County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Culpeper County community of Clarkson.
    • Wisconsin
      • Dane 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 Wisconsin community of Clarkson [Dane County].

Curious and Interesting Names Near Clarkson ...

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.

  • Beech
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Beech is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
  • Cool
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cool is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool
  • Ford
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Ford is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ford
  • Greenbush
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Greenbush is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbush
  • Liberty Center
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Liberty Center is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Center
  • Pleasantville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Sandyville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sandyville is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
  • Scotch Ridge
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Scotch Ridge is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotch Ridge
  • Summerset
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Summerset is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerset
  • Summerset Junction ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Summerset Junction is located in Warren County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerset Junction
  • Swan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Swan is located in Marion County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people

How Far From Clarkson to ...

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

With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers and using the location of where the historic community of Clarkson once stood, the straight-line distance beginning in Clarkson and extending to:

  • Indianola, which is the Seat of Warren County, lies just to the West Northwest.
  • Des Moines, which is the State Capital of Iowa, lies 19 miles [30.6 km]<2> to the north northwest (NNW). If you could walk a straight line from Clarkson to Des Moines, with an average speed<5> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take just over a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take 6 hours.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 881 miles [1,417.8 km] to the east (E). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take most of two days, a buggy would take 35 days and walking would take 50 days.
  • The shortest distance<6> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,417 miles [10,327.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 7,165 miles [11,530.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<8>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 5,059 miles [8,141.7 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>'

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 Clarkson 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- Clarkson) 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 Clarkson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<5>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.
<6>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 Clarkson 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 Clarkson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3344, Longitude: -93.4524       In this case, the coordinates for Clarkson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 318.362 degrees.
<8>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 315.751 degrees.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.631 degrees.