RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Minnesota >> Todd County >> West Union >> Tidbits & TriviaIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Minnesota


The Commemorative Quarter for Minnesota







Outdoor Activities ...

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

When in West Union, we use the following websites to find information relevant to West Union 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 West Union:
    • 45.803086, -95.083852
    • 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.
    • The Heavens-Above Website, centered on West Union
  • 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:
    • Waymark.com

Communities Also Named West Union ...

We found 22 communities that share the name West Union.

There is one other community in Minnesota which is also named West Union.

Beyond Minnesota, we know of another 21 communities that are located throughout in the United States.

  • Communities Located In Minnesota ...
    • Carver County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Carver County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Carver County community of West Union.
  • Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
    • Illinois
      • Clark County
      • This West Union is located in Clark County and lies 590 miles [949.5 km]<2> to the southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Clark County community of West Union.
    • Indiana
      • Parke County
      • This West Union is located in Parke County and lies 568 miles [914.1 km]<2> to the southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Parke County community of West Union.
    • Iowa
      • Fayette County
      • This West Union is located in Fayette County and lies 254 miles [408.8 km]<2> to the southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Fayette County community of West Union.
      • Tama County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Iowa community of West Union [Tama County].
    • Kansas
      • Norton County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of West Union [Norton County].
      • Phillips County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of West Union [Phillips County].
      • Washington County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Kansas community of West Union [Washington County].
    • Mississippi
      • Union County
      • We found mention of this community, but have little information.<3> For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Mississippi community of West Union [Union County].
    • Missouri
      • Cass County
      • This community is historic<1> and although located in Cass County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Cass County community of West Union.
    • Nebraska
      • Custer County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Nebraska community of West Union [Custer County].
    • New York
      • Steuben County
      • This West Union is located in Steuben County and lies 898 miles [1,445.2 km]<2> to the east of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Steuben County community of West Union.
    • Ohio
      • Adams County
      • This West Union is located in Adams County and lies 761 miles [1,224.7 km]<2> to the southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Adams County community of West Union.
      • Hancock County
      • This community is historic<1> and we have very little information. For the information that we do have, please visit our profile page for the Ohio community of West Union [Hancock County].
      • Monroe County
      • This community is historic and although located in Monroe County, we don't know where within the county.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Monroe County community of West Union.
    • Oregon
      • Washington County
      • This West Union is located in Washington County and lies 1,334 miles [2,146.9 km]<2> to the west of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of West Union.
    • Pennsylvania
      • Greene County
      • This West Union is located in Greene County and lies 847 miles [1,363.1 km]<2> to the east southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Greene County community of West Union.
    • South Carolina
      • Oconee County
      • This West Union is located in Oconee County and lies 989 miles [1,591.6 km]<2> to the southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Oconee County community of West Union.
    • Tennessee
      • Shelby County
      • This West Union is located in Shelby County and lies 768 miles [1,236 km]<2> to the south southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Shelby County community of West Union.
      • Weakley County
      • This West Union is located in Weakley County and lies 736 miles [1,184.5 km] to the south southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Weakley County community of West Union.
    • West Virginia
      • Doddridge County
      • This West Union is located in Doddridge County and lies 853 miles [1,372.8 km]<2> to the east southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Doddridge County community of West Union.
      • Pocahontas County
      • This West Union is located in Pocahontas County and lies 923 miles [1,485.4 km] to the east southeast of the West Union that is located in Todd County.
      • For more information, please visit our profile page for the Pocahontas County community of West Union.

Curious and Interesting Names Near West Union ...

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.

  • Grey Eagle
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grey Eagle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grey Eagle
    • Grey Eagle is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grey Eagle <5>
  • Grove Lake
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grove Lake. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove Lake
    • Grove Lake is located in Pope County
  • Little Sauk
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Sauk have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sauk
    • Little Sauk is located in Todd County
  • Long Beach
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
    • Long Beach is located in Pope County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 417 people
  • Long Prairie
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie
    • Long Prairie is located in Todd County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,297 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Prairie <5>
  • Miltona
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Miltona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miltona
    • Miltona is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Miltona <5>
  • Nelson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Nelson is located in Douglas County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
  • Pleasant Beach
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Beach
    • Pleasant Beach is located in Todd County
  • Rose City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rose City have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose City
    • Rose City is located in Douglas County
  • Round Prairie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Prairie
    • Round Prairie is located in Todd County
  • Spruce Center
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spruce Center have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce Center
    • Spruce Center is located in Douglas County

How Far From West Union to ...

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

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

  • Long Prairie, which is the Seat of Todd County, lies 16 miles [25.7 km]<2> to the northeast. If you could walk a straight line from West Union to Long Prairie, with an average speed<7> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take most of a day to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take five to six hours.
  • Saint Paul, which is the State Capital of Minnesota, lies 112 miles [180.2 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
  • The White House (Washington, DC) is 1,033 miles [1,662.5 km] to the east southeast (ESE). Driving would take over two days, a buggy would take 41 days and walking would take 59 days.
  • The shortest distance<8> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,237 miles [10,037.5 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<9>
  • The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,996 miles [11,259 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<10>
  • The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,915 miles [7,909.9 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<11>

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Union. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Todd County: www.co.todd.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Union, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>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 Union) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Union. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8031, Longitude: -95.0839       In this case, the coordinates for West Union have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<3>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 West Union 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.
<4>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<5>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<6>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<7>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.
<8>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 West Union to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.
<9>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 319.596 degrees.
<10>The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 317.75 degrees.
<11>The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 311.432 degrees.









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 21 Apr 2025