Today I go behind the scenes to show what I saw while reviewing the digital map between around the city of Sandusky, OH.
Screen captures come from Excel 2007. Minor edits made using MS Paint.
Other images are sourced as noted.
TL;DR
- Introduction
- Fun with Maps
6. Havana, OH
5. Milan, OH
4. Berlin Heights, OH
3. Ceylon, OH
2. Peru, OH
1. Sandusky, OH - More Fun with Maps
Introduction
After his brush with fame in Cleveland, David Guardia rides to Sandusky, Ohio. Before reaching Sandusky, he meets the man who would become his riding companion until reaching Iowa
Along the way, he must have been looking at digital (or even paper) maps.
What was he looking at? What caught his eye? What surprises did he find?
While I can't answer those questions for him, I can answer them for myself.
In our physical offline world, the trip to STURGIS would have been shorter and more efficient (not to mention cheaper) had David Guardia used some navigational aid, be it GPS, a Viking Sunstone, or an uncanny co-pilot. It also would have been a much more boring ride for him (and for us as readers).
Maps are a vital part of The GHAWG Universe, both for me as storyteller and for the characters. As much as I want to have scenes take place at certain locations, the ultimate decider is THE MAP: If the location doesn't make sense for the story, then I can't use it for that story. On the other hand, the map may show me a location I hadn't considered before but makes perfect sense both for utility and symbolism.
While reviewing digital maps, there are times I find locations which get me scratching my head and scruff, get me laughing, or even get me wondering "WTF is this??" This post features what I discovered in the vicinity of Sandusky, Ohio.
Fun with Maps
As with earlier editions of Fun With Maps, a few places on the map
… I had known about over the years;
… are better known by their more famous alternatives; and
… I just hadn't expected at all.
Now that David Guardia is in Ohio, more zapfic entries are taking place there.
After Cleveland, the next place of note is Sandusky. Two screens of digital map had interesting place names, but not enough on each page to make the cut for Fun with Maps. So it's the 3rd page after Cleveland, and it happens to feature Sandusky.
Here are the discoveries I made in this section of the ride from Cleveland to Sandusky:
Just to remind myself that this map was part of Ohio, I added the label OHIO. Then I highlighted 6 locations (with Sandusky in reverse video). This map isn't directly tied to any other map, so I added the label Cleveland ▬►► for reference. Here are the 6 locations in reverse order of interest:
6. Havana, OH
Havana-- La Habana in Spanish-- is the capital of Cuba and its largest city. For people able to visit Cuba (including Canadians and Europeans), it's one of the most popular tourist distinations in the Western Hemisphere. It's the most famous Havana in the world.
Historical information regarding the early days of Havana, Ohio is thin. However, it is believed that the people there named the community after La Habana.
5. Milan, OH
Milan, the second-largest city in Italy after Rome, is known as one of the fashion centers of the world (along with Paris, London, and New York). It is on the Formula One circuit as site for the Monza Grand Prix.
Milan, Ohio wasn't always "Milan, Ohio". When it was founded in 1817, it was named Beatty; a short time later it was named Indian Village. When it was incorporated in 1833, it was renamed Milano after the city in Italy. While Milano has much for which to be proud, perhaps its greatest claim to fame is being the birthplace of inventor Thomas Edison.
4. Berlin Heights, OH
The City of Berlin is one of the world's major cities, on par with London, Paris, Rome, and New York. It was also a theater in the Cold War when construction of the Berlin Wall started in 1961-August-13 all the way until demolition of the wall took place on 1989-November-9.
Berlin Heights, Ohio in Huron County had been founded as Eldridge, Ohio, named after one of its first propriertors. He proved to be so unpopular with residents that they petitioned the commisioners of Huron County to have the town renamed. Many of the people moving into Edlridge had come from Germany, so the town was renamed Berlin Heights to honor the Old Country.
3. Ceylon, OH
Ceylon is the previous name of Sri Lanka, the island nation off the coast of India. It's for this reason that the community originally known as Berlin Station (founded in 1858) was renamed in 1871. At the time, Ceylon was one of several major sources of coffee and tea.
2. Peru, OH
Ceylon isn't the only country honored by having a place named for it in Ohio. There is also Peru, Ohio. Unlike with Ceylon, Ohio, there's no clear explanation for why the name "Peru" was chosen.
Peru, Ohio was originally named Macksville, after its founder David Mack. David Mack founded Macksville in 1818.
1. Sandusky, OH
Sandusky, Ohio is known by some movie and comedy fans as the home of Callahan Auto in the 1995 movie Tommy Boy, starring Chris Farley in the title role:
Source: IMDB.com
Although David Guardia doesn't know this, it's why I made it part of his ride to STURGIS.
There are two theories regarding the origin of the city's name:
- It was named (and anglicized) after a Polish fur trader whose name was either Antoni Sadowski or Jacob Sodowsky;
- Before being anglicized, it comes from the Wyandot phrase
San Too Chee, which means "at the cold water"; this is the more popular theory.
More Fun with Maps
After Sandusky, the next place of note is Defiance. Where else in Ohio will David Guardia find himself? What other notable people will he find there? How does his ride further unfold?
Let's find out together as I continue my research and we have more fun with maps.
As more posts in this series are published, they will be added to the pinned post "GHAWGnav: Navigating The GHAWG Universe". Thanks for taking time to see how this part of The GHAWG Universe is being built.
This is
[!!]See you next time for another edition of Fun with Maps!
[!!] -- Graphic signature was designed by @ahmadmanga