How the West was Mapped

[ski3pin]

Here is a link to some interesting history on how the Northern California area was mapped. I find this stuff fascinating.

Shasta Triangle

I especially find this photo from 1876 pretty incredible as the Lady & I have been to the summit of Round Top several times. Now we have to go back and see if there is any evidence of these structures left.

In my trip report on our Labor Day adventures in Nevada I mentioned all the ruins on the top of the Arc Dome, the Toiyabe Range's high point and one of Nevada's prominent peaks.

Trip Report Here

Here's a couple photos of the old pads dug out and shelter walls.

This is getting me thinking that Arc Dome was possibly a major triangulation station in the mapping of the west and these could be remnants of structures used at that time.

Hope some of you share my interest in this historical stuff.

 

[MarkBC]

Yes, interesting -- thanks, ski3pin.

 

[highz]

Thanks for posting the link. Interesting stuff indeed.

 

[UglyScout]

As a surveyor myself - I am always impressed by the work that was done 150 years ago. I cannot imagine attempting some of the things that they did - even with modern equipment.

 

[chnlisle]

Way back in March 1856 using triangulation and what would be considered huge and very crude instruments by today's standards and from distances of over 120 miles away Mr. Everest was measured at 29,002 ft (8,839.8 m). They were off by 33 feet. Nowadays an error of 10 to 20 meters is not unusual when using a GPS to determine heights and that's without the governments built in error. Those old guys had it going on

 

[Cort]

Way back in March 1856 using triangulation and what would be considered huge and very crude instruments by today's standards and from distances of over 120 miles away Mr. Everest was measured at 29,002 ft (8,839.8 m). They were off by 33 feet. Nowadays an error of 10 to 20 meters is not unusual when using a GPS to determine heights and that's without the governments built in error. Those old guys had it going on


Just a slight correction.....using survey grade gps with a good control network and site calibration it is common to achieve cm level accuracy...even without a true control network and no site calibration, survey grade gps is capable of producing elevations as accurate as 0.1ft to 0.2 ft in RTK mode (Real Time Kinematic -- single baseline and short occupation time). Of course nothing beats the accuracy of a modern total station....they just are not as convenient to use when you are talking about long distances.

I use modern survey equipment on a regular basis as part of my job and as UglyScout said it is truly amazing what the original land surveyors did with the equipment they had.

Cort

 

[craig333]

Fascinating stuff. I've never even heard of Mt.Lola. I think a trip is in order.

 

[Lighthawk]

Mt. Lola is the highest point in Nevada Co, CA. I've biked/hiked to the summit via trail off of Perazo Meadows, near Hwy. 89 north of Truckee. There's remnants of a stone cabin on the summit.

The surveyor technique of the 19th Century is fascinating to me too. Just think! Sightings from Mt. Lola to Shasta are 167 miles. I'm impressed because I can spot Shasta from Castle Peak, Grouse Ridge and the Sierra Buttes, which are all similar distances. I had no idea it was that far line o' sight. I should get back to Lola, but she's got about a foot of fresh snow now. Mt. Lola

BTW: Lola Montez is one of our historical people around here: Lola Montez

Love the story of Muir spending the night on Shasta, alternately frying one side and freezing the other as he laid on top of the hot spring just below the summit. Didn't realize he had a companion. I've walked across that boiling water/pumice slurry years ago while summiting and thought of Muir bivouacing w/o tent up there. Those guys were tough.

 

[chnlisle]

As the song goes.......

 

[Foy]

I am the grandson and son of surveyors as both my namesake grandfather and namesake father were NC State University civil engineering graduates. I am the proud owner of my grandfather's transit and a variety of his field equipment which he used up until his death in 1957.

I've had a strong interest in the Public Land Survey System since junior high history class days in the 1960s. Here in the East, we use English metes and bounds surveying, and there is no system whatsoever backing it up. The relative chaos of the metes and bounds surveying technique gives rise to a real attraction to a system such as the PLLS.

In both July 2010 and 2011, I had the distinct pleasure of viewing the exhibits of and talking to the members of the Montana Surveyors Reenactors Corps at the annual Bannack Days festival in Bannack, MT. A story about them from the Missoula, MT newspaper is here. http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territory/article_d91360c0-33a1-11df-97a0-001cc4c002e0.html.

Bannack Days is held annually, 3rd weekend in July, at Bannack State Park, Bannack, MT. Bannack itself is a well-preserved, non-touristy ghost town which was the first capital of Montana Territory in 1864. The Bannack Days celebration can be described as a "by Montanans, for Montanans" celebration of frontier history. There's a great tour of the large mill built there for processing of the hard-rock gold ores, too, for those interested in mining history.

In addition, Bannack lies west of Dillon, enroute to the Big Hole off of MT 278, and lies in the heart of some magnificent "Wandering the West" country. I went to Bannack Days this year and last as a part of a two-week wandering, trout fishing, and hot spring soaking vacation to Montana and nearby parts of Idaho.

The story of the PLLS is another real down and dirty, nuts and bolts story about how the West was mapped. The outcome of the original surveyor's work is still visible on the ground today, everywhere we see a section line or a corner post.

Foy

 

[Foy]

I am the grandson and son of surveyors as both my namesake grandfather and namesake father were NC State University civil engineering graduates. I am the proud owner of my grandfather's transit and a variety of his field equipment which he used up until his death in 1957.

I've had a strong interest in the Public Land Survey System since junior high history class days in the 1960s. Here in the East, we use English metes and bounds surveying, and there is no system whatsoever backing it up. The relative chaos of the metes and bounds surveying technique gives rise to a real attraction to a system such as the PLLS.

In both July 2010 and 2011, I had the distinct pleasure of viewing the exhibits of and talking to the members of the Montana Surveyors Reenactors Corps at the annual Bannack Days festival in Bannack, MT. A story about them from the Missoula, MT newspaper is here. http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territory/article_d91360c0-33a1-11df-97a0-001cc4c002e0.html.

Bannack Days is held annually, 3rd weekend in July, at Bannack State Park, Bannack, MT. Bannack itself is a well-preserved, non-touristy ghost town which was the first capital of Montana Territory in 1864. The Bannack Days celebration can be described as a "by Montanans, for Montanans" celebration of frontier history. There's a great tour of the large mill built there for processing of the hard-rock gold ores, too, for those interested in mining history.

In addition, Bannack lies west of Dillon, enroute to the Big Hole off of MT 278, and lies in the heart of some magnificent "Wandering the West" country. I went to Bannack Days this year and last as a part of a two-week wandering, trout fishing, and hot spring soaking vacation to Montana and nearby parts of Idaho.

The story of the PLLS is another real down and dirty, nuts and bolts story about how the West was mapped. The outcome of the original surveyor's work is still visible on the ground today, everywhere we see a section line or a corner post.

Foy

 

[ski3pin]

 

[UglyScout]

The story of the PLLS is another real down and dirty, nuts and bolts story about how the West was mapped. The outcome of the original surveyor's work is still visible on the ground today, everywhere we see a section line or a corner post.



My best surveying memories (am I old enough to have 'best memories'?) are the years I worked as a PLSS surveyor and retraced 100+ year old surveys everyday. We'd drive out into the wood every morning and hike around. Finding original evidence from the original surveyors was like Christmas!

I was the unfortunate guy that packed the concrete, the monuments and tools into the middle of nowhere and set/reset new monuments. That part fot he job hasn't changed much in 150 years....



Yikes that first map was unreadable.. Take 2...

 

[Foy]

My best surveying memories (am I old enough to have 'best memories'?) are the years I worked as a PLSS surveyor and retraced 100+ year old surveys everyday. We'd drive out into the wood every morning and hike around. Finding original evidence from the original surveyors was like Christmas!

I was the unfortunate guy that packed the concrete, the monuments and tools into the middle of nowhere and set/reset new monuments. That part fot he job hasn't changed much in 150 years....


Beautiful! So "Remomumation" is the modern term for shlepping bags of concrete way the H out into the woods. Good to know.

In my career as a mineral exploration geologist, I did many, many a mile of Brunton compass ground geophysical/geochemical grid survey on prospect areas, with the great majority of that having been done in NC, VA, SC, and GA, where every single foot of line involves machetes and bushaxes. I'm glad to have an indoor job now that I'm in my 50s. Cutting line is a young man's job.

Foy

 

[craig333]

Been all around Mt.Lola and never knew it.

So can one of you surveyors explain why I see plenty of k-tags when I know where I am but none when I'm lost?

 

[chnlisle]

For the same reason that after a long bicycle ride the way home is always up hill and into the wind.