Fun with land coordinate systems

[AWG_Pics]

Today I received a copy of 'Atlas of Nevada Conifers', published in 1996. The site locations were all described by Township, Range and Section. A bit of poking around with our old friend Google revealed there is a way to show Township, Range and Section in Google Earth. For any of you interested, go to Google and type in "PLSS in Google Earth" and you will find a downloadable kml file you can import into Google Earth. I don't know for sure, but I think this is more of Western USA thing than a universal coordinate system.

Here is a linky: http://www.earthsurvey.us/plss/plss.html

Have fun if you are geeky like me and find such things fun!

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

That’s cool!

 

[craig333]

It is cool. Very handy for those of us who use FS maps.

 

[ski3pin]

Prior to hand held gps units becoming the norm, as a USFS volunteer it was standard to use what was called "legal description" to give a location over the radio. It was the standard for USFS employees and fire (and I suspect BLM also) to use this during radio transmissions. Once you are use to it, it is quick and easy to go both ways and it also did not involve long strings of numbers that are easy to screw up and took time to read back and confirm. In all the land navigation classes we taught we always covered PLSS and a simple "legal" description. It is really great that google earth now has a tool for its use.

Thanks for posting this!

 

[AWG_Pics]

You are more than welcome. Back in the 1970's, when I worked at the USGS Water Resources Division in Boise, we were finding and entering basic data about groundwater wells into the the USGS system. It was Township, Range, Section and then quarter, quarter. Got to be pretty quick with that after entering or verifying data on a few hundred wells. We also ran level lines in many areas, setting up measuring points and reference points, which along with other descriptive data, was T, R, S, Q, Q and elevation designation.

So finding the google earth dataset was really a fun 'blast from the past'!

 

[craig333]

If you run across a k-tag it won't have lat long on it. I was listening to them use lat long on the radio today. They had to repeat it over and over.

 

[Foy]

I don't know for sure, but I think this is more of Western USA thing than a universal coordinate system.

Map Geeks R Us!

It's a Western US thing for sure since the Colonies some eastward Midwestern states use the English "metes and bounds" system of legal descriptions. Much of the West and much of the Midwest is under the PLLS, notably excluding Texas and large parts of NM and AZ and generally areas which were deeded by Spanish and French land grants prior to annexation/purchase by the US. We ancient geologists schooled in Eastern colleges often got our first exposure to PLLS nomenclature and map skills in Field Camp, as was the case with yours truly.

While on my first field geologist job in Mississippi, where I bird-dogged 3 buggy mounted "shot hole" drill rigs, most of the newbies from Eastern schools were hazed by the older guys who would send us off to solve urgent problems at "Junior's drill site over in the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 37". All productive activity would stop while we tuned in our CB radios to listen to the trainers' and trainees' radio traffic as he/she anxiously tried to find out exactly where Junior's rig was.

Keep an eye out for PLLS re-enactors at various festivals in the West. I've had the pleasure of seeing one group twice at Bannack Days in Montana. They roll out lots of totally cool transits, levels, plane tables, chains, etc.

Foy

 

[AWG_Pics]

They roll out lots of totally cool transits, levels, plane tables, chains, etc.

Foy

Ha! I completely forgot about the plane table and alidade. Oh, that brings back a few memories. I had no idea that I am so ancient the tools I used in my early 20's would be considered old time west antiquities. Yikes!

 

[Foy]

Yep, my first field methods course, taken in Spring semester 1975, had us creating our own topographic maps with the cited antiques before adding contacts, folds, and faults as observed by strike and dip, as determined with a Brunton Pocket Transit! We felt like we were the reincarnations of Arthur Keith doing the USGS Folios of the Southern Appalachians in the early 1900s.

I still have my Brunton and will never let it go.

Sounds like you'd enjoy the PLLS re-enactors. Go for it!

Foy

 

[ski3pin]

Oh how'd love to spend that day at Bannack!

 

[Foy]

Oh how'd love to spend that day at Bannack!

Go for it, Ski!

As best as I can tell, Bannack Days was held again this year just last weekend, the 3rd weekend in July being the traditional weekend. A review of the schedule of events shows free exhibits on Surveying and Mapping (assumed to be the PLLS re-enactors), Miner's Court (which I don't recall having seen before, but which would hopefully have included presentations regarding mining claim laws and resolution of claim disputes), an Infantry encampment (previously including hands-on demonstrations of muzzleloading firearms), and around a dozen other activities. With any luck, future Bannack Days would include the Chuckwagon (demos of cast iron cooking at its finest) and an inside tour of the hardrock mining mill and recovery processes.

There's a September event shown as Living History Weekend set for the 3rd weekend in September annually. I don't recall seeing mention of that before. It's a 4 day event and is apparently geared to include teachers and school field trip groups.

Full information on the Bannack State Park website.

Foy