Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about West Melcher (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for West Melcher. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for West Melcher ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Melcher: W. Melcher
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Melcher is located in Parke County.
To see how the shape of Indiana's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Parke County: Clay, Fountain, Montgomery, Putnam, Vermillion & Vigo.
Below are the counties that are near West Melcher. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Melcher:
- Parke County (The home county of West Melcher)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Armiesburg
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Armiesburg is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armiesburg
- Montezuma
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- West Union
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- West Union is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Mecca
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mecca is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
- Bloomingdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rockville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Annapolis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Annapolis is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annapolis
- Billie Creek Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Nyesville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Nyesville is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nyesville
- Marshall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Marshall is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Numa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Numa is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Numa
- Judson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Judson is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Rosedale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Rosedale is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 704 people
- Rosedale has also been known as:
- Roseville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosedale <1>
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Perth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Perth is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perth
- Lena
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lena is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
- Carbon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Carbon is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 379 people
- Bee Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bee Ridge is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Ridge
- Cloverland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Cloverland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverland
- Benwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Benwood is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benwood
- Billtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Billtown is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billtown
- Brazil
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Staunton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Staunton is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staunton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 502 people
- Billville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Billville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billville
- Harmony
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Harmony is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Population from the 2020 Census: 639 people
- Knightsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Knightsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knightsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
- Turner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Turner is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- Fountain County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Kingman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Harveysburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Harveysburg is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveysburg
- Wallace
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wallace is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 83 people
- Veedersburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Layton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Layton is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- Covington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Hillsboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stone Bluff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Stone Bluff is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Bluff
- Mellott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mellott is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mellott
- Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
- Newtown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Newtown is located in Fountain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Waveland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Alamo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Alamo is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
- New Market
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- New Market is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
- Population from the 2020 Census: 622 people
- Waynetown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yountsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yountsville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yountsville
- North Union
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- North Union is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Union
- Wesley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wesley is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Ladoga
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Crawfordsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Wingate
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Portland Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Portland Mills is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland Mills
- Russellville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Russellville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russellville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Blakesburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Blakesburg is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakesburg
- Reelsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Reelsville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reelsville
- Greencastle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Limedale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Limedale is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limedale
- Bainbridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bainbridge is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bainbridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 743 people
- Roachdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Putnamville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Putnamville is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnamville
- Vermillion County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Alta
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Alta is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Hillsdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hillsdale is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Summit Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Summit Grove is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Grove
- Newport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dana is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Fairview Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview Park is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,298 people
- Clinton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Sandytown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sandytown is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandytown
- Saint Bernice
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Bernice is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Bernice
- Cayuga
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blanford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blanford is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanford
- Universal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Universal is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Universal
- Population from the 2020 Census: 339 people
- Eugene
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Eugene is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eugene
- Vigo County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Shepardsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Shepardsville is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepardsville
- Fontanet
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Fontanet is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontanet
- Sandcut
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sandcut is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandcut
- Libertyville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Libertyville is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertyville
- New Goshen
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Ridge is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
- Burnett
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Burnett is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnett
- Harrison
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Harrison is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- North Terre Haute
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- North Terre Haute is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Terre Haute
- Spelterville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Spelterville is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spelterville
- Terre Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Terre Town is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terre Town
- Barnhart Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Barnhart Town is located in Vigo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhart Town
- Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Foster
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Foster is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
- Baltimore ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Baltimore is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltimore
- State Line City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- State Line City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 137 people
- State Line
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- State Line is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Clark County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Farrington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Farrington is located in Clark County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrington
- Dennison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dennison is located in Clark County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennison
- Weaver
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Weaver is located in Clark County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Livingston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Livingston is located in Clark County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livingston
- Edgar County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Kidley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Kidley is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kidley
- Raven
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Raven is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Clays Prairie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Clays Prairie is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clays Prairie
- Scottland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Scottland is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottland
- Huffmanville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Huffmanville is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffmanville
- Logan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bloomfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bloomfield is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Chrisman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Kentucky
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Kentucky is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentucky
- Vermilion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Elbridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elbridge is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbridge
- Paris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Nevins
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Nevins is located in Edgar County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevins
- Vermilion County (IL)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Ridge Farm
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Olivet
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Olivet is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Vermilion Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Vermilion Grove is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermilion Grove
- Georgetown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Meeks
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Meeks is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meeks
- Busenville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Busenville is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busenville
- Indianola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Westville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Belgium
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Belgium is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belgium
- Population from the 2020 Census: 362 people
- Tilton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tilton is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,655 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tilton <1>
- Archie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Archie is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archie
- Sidell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Catlin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Catlin is located in Vermilion County (IL)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,899 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Catlin <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Melcher, see our County-by-County Page for West Melcher.
Cemeteries Near West Melcher ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Melcher.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for West Melcher - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Melcher covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Armiesburg Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Arabia Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Oakland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Watts Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Coloma Friends Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Highland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Hixon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Dinsmore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hethcoe Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Warner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hollingsworth Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (417 more) ...
- Bogart Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pisgah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Helts Prairie Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find West Melcher in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Melcher.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Melcher, with the one closest to West Melcher listed first.
- Armiesburg
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Armiesburg is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armiesburg
- Montezuma
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Coloma
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Coloma is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coloma
- Highland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- West Union
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- West Union is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Summit Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Summit Grove is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Grove
- Mecca
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mecca is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca
- Population from the 2020 Census: 325 people
- Leatherwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Leatherwood is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Bloomingdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rockville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Annapolis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Annapolis is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annapolis
- Newport
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Dana
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dana is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
- Toronto
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Toronto is located in Vermillion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toronto
- Catlin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Catlin is located in Parke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catlin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Melcher. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Melcher.
Newspapers Published in West Melcher ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 74 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Melcher.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Melcher, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Melcher.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to West Melcher:
- Websites specific to Indiana
- Pages specific to Parke County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Fountain County
- Montgomery County
- Putnam County
- Vermillion County
- Vigo County
- Warren County
- Clark County
- Edgar County
- Vermilion County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Indiana
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <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 West Melcher, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Melcher) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |