Mereja

Author: MattB and Dylan

  • Old Man of the Dalles

    Image of Old Man of the Dalles located in Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, US | Vintage postcard view of the Old Man of the Dalles

    Old Man of the Dalles

    A stone face watches over the river

    This natural wonder is one of the many odd rock formations and rocky crags along the Dalles of the St. Croix River.
    At the end of the last ice age, the frigid waters of Lake Superior drained southwards toward the Mississippi, carving the rugged topography here. The area is famous for its many potholes cut deep into the rock by boulders trapped in the eddies of the great torrent.
    In Victorian times, steamboats guided tourists through the gorge to gawk at the rugged scenery and take note of the unusual rock formations such as the Devil’s Pulpit, the Maltese Cross, the Lion’s Head, and the Devil’s Chair (which was sadly toppled by vandals in 2005).
    The Old Man is best visible from the diving cliffs on the east side of the river. Look north, toward the rocks before the highway bridge. Unlike New Hampshire’s Old Man of the Mountain, this formation is not likely to fall to pieces anytime soon.

    Read more about Old Man of the Dalles on Atlas Obscura…

    Category: Geological Oddities
    Location: Saint Croix Falls, Wisconsin, US
    Edited by: MattB, Dylan

  • Dead River

    Image of Dead River located in Zion, Illinois, US | Placid river biding its time.

    Dead River

    A river with some unusual, and occasionally dangerous, habits

    Dead River is so named not because it is polluted, but because it runs toward, but does not flow into, Lake Michigan.
    Just yards from its goal, the river disappears into the sand in an apparent dead end. Periodically, the water builds enough pressure to burst its sand bar barricades in a violent outbreak, which can be very dangerous to bystanders. Mostly, however, the river snakes placidly from the marshes of Dead Lake a mile or two to the dead end on the beach, hardly seeming to flow at all.
    In pre-settlement times, several rivers in the Chicagoland region experienced the same conditions, where the force of the waves pushing sand onto the beach was stronger than the river flow downstream, since there is very little river gradient in this flat area. Nowadays the Chicago and Calumet Rivers have been dredged and industrialized beyond recognition, while the Dead River alone carries on this peculiar habit.

    Read more about Dead River on Atlas Obscura…

    Category: Watery Wonders
    Location: Zion, Illinois, US
    Edited by: MattB, Dylan

  • 45th Parallel Marker

    Image of 45th Parallel Marker located in Oconto, Wisconsin, US | Roadside park with marker

    45th Parallel Marker

    Almost half-way between the Equator and North Pole

    One of a series of geographical markers set up by local newspaper editor Frank Noyes in the 1930s, some of the markers commemorate the exact half-way point between the North Pole and Equator, while others mark crossings of the 45th Latitude line (these are not the same point).
    This marking of the 45th Parallel is located in a small roadside park along the highway and is a lovely place to stop for a picnic.

    Read more about 45th Parallel Marker on Atlas Obscura…

    Category: Marvelous Maps and Measures
    Location: Oconto, Wisconsin, US
    Edited by: MattB, Dylan