The internet is indeed a powerful tool when it comes to some research. If you were around land surveying before Al Gore invented the internet, you know what a grand tool it can be. Most of us now can simultaneously talk to a prospective client and not only look at the current deed and description of a certain property; we can quickly view the property at least from an aerial view...if not from a street view. Things like that use to take a long time.
But I need to warn you all, our digital reality is becoming infested with termites. Huge databases are copied and proliferated at the speed of a double-click nowadays with no possible way for a human being to even check the precision or validity of the data. We merely place disclaimers on websites that require the "I ACCEPT" tab to be activated. Most of us don't even read the disclaimers. I don't. I'm of the opinion if you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. But I digress; back to the termites. One termite isn't a problem. But termites multiply and proliferate. Then they become a problem.
I enjoy being a member of a few local history buff groups. I don't like it to be too well known that I am a surveyor because of the plethora of requests for maps that comes all too often. But from time to time I will take up a cause to settle some differences that folks may have. Especially if they include termites.
I was recently asked if I could produce a map that showed Mule Barn, Oklahoma. Some folks believed it never existed. Others had fond memories of stories passed down by their grandparents of dances and socials that occurred at the great Mule Barn community. My personal belief has been that Mule Barn, Oklahoma never existed. But my analytical nature needs facts to form my hypothesis. You can get there on Google Earth. You can find ads for Hotel Rooms and Realtors in Mule Barn. But there seems to be a complete lack of any historical data about Mule Barn, particularly maps.
Map makers use to throw non-existent places on their maps to guarantee that if competitors plagiarized their work, it would be readily evident if one of these "mole" locations showed up. A good example is the story of Agloe, New York. For a while I was convinced that Mule Barn was a concoction of such a map maker. The fly in the ointment is I cannot find one historic map that shows Mule Barn, OK upon it. Then I found it. Mule Barn technically does exist. At least on paper anyway. And it pre-dates the internet.
I found it mentioned on Two Wheel Oklahoma. A circa 2011 local television travel show featuring the motorcycle journeys of Brad Mathison and Rex Brown throughout the Sooner State. Here's what Brad and Rex found out:
The Story of Mule Barn
Up until 1977 the Oklahoma Constitution required only three people to create a township. When the legislature decided to change this requirement to better reflect modern times, it created a mad rush of applications. Mule Barn was created on February 14, 1977 along with seventeen other such "towns."
At the time of its creation Mule Barn was a 16-acre plot owned by Robert and Eleanor Brown. Their son was the third citizen. So the town of Mule Barn was born, and the road atlas would never be the same again.
Now Bob & Eleanor's son grew up and headed for the big city. They no longer even live there. There is one rusted sign on a gate that announces the place...a locked gate. So somewhere buried within the State's records of unincorporated towns Mule Barn occupies a line. Since 1977 the United States Federal Census (who apparently used this list) has listed Mule Barn; with a population of zero.
Now at least two government databases have shown Mule Barn as existing. And since then who knows how many times this info has been sold, shared, stolen and published. All the while allowing the termites to breed.
But whether or not it exists depends on your definition of reality. You CAN get pizza delivered in Mule Barn. However it comes from either Cleveland or Mannford, the two closest hamlets. So it really does exist. I know this for a fact...I Googled it.
Misinformation, like bad news, travels as faster than correct information and good news. In your case of Mule Barn it is not exactly false, just exaggerated.
A trivial example: Someone added to Wikipedia the "fact" that the station Meades Ranch was part of the 85th meridian survey. I read that and thought the longitude was a bit off.
I couldn't check out their reference without traveling to a distant library (still on my "nice to do someday" list). If anybody has easy access to it, please check what it says and where they got their info.
Walter H. Schoewe,"Kansas and the geodetic datum of North America"], ''Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science'' 51 (1948) 117–124
A Google search found countless mentions of this "fact" of its origin with the 85th meridian survey, but setting a date range on the search found that essentially all of those occurrences were 2012 and after, and appeared to have been copied from Wikipedia.
Further research turned up a C&GS publication and another that indicate "This point was selected because ... it was common to two great arcs of triangulation ... 39th parallel and ... the 98th meridian." With those references I modified the article.
Will any of the multitude of places that copied the bad information ever fix it? Probably not most.
About that clicking on the "I accept" without reading the disclaimer...
A good friend of mine who happens to be a lawyer used to work for the corporate law firm of Skadden in NYC. He used to write and proofread those types of licencing agreements and told me he would NEVER accept one of them without reading it. Some are pure evil and you could be giving away your rights to everything under the kitchen sink. There is a reason why it's difficult to read and/or in a small font. I'm sure it's easier for him to skim through it faster than you and I could....
The Road to Mule Barn, OK
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> But whether or not it exists depends on your definition of reality. You CAN get pizza delivered in Mule Barn. However it comes from either Cleveland or Mannford, the two closest hamlets. So it really does exist. I know this for a fact...I Googled it.
Pizza is an exremely relative term once you leave the NE.
Pizza is an exremely relative term once you leave the NE
Well...sort of. Have you ever had Chicago style pizza? Better than NYC pizza IMHO...
Yes on trips to Chi many, many years ago visiting friends.Went to the original Unos and was not a fan.
I had much better deep dish Sicilian pizzas as a kid in real Italian bakeries in North Jersey.
Last trip to Chi a few years ago, I ordered thin.
Btw one of my grandmothers maiden name was Columbo.
Been blessed here. A few minutes from our house is Colonnas Pizza.
Bobby C's dad and grandmother worked for Phil Pepe's pizza in CT. They actually lived in the pizza place in CT.
Like I said ... Its a relative term pun intended
Google Pepe's Pizza and you will find that it has always been judged in the top ten in the U.S. Since the dawn of pizza.
I've had NY style pizza in NYC, and it's good, about as good as it gets. My buddy took me out to a few places when visiting.($$$$). AND I've had Chicago style pizza in Chicago and like it better. BUT...YMMV....
BL
I usually find the prices for pizza and the portions in relation to price are much lower in the NYC area.
Supply / demand and family traditions.
Plus you can buy slices
Thanks to Henry for passing on the article. At first glance I see no reference to 85th meridian, so it appears somebody misquoted this article which was correct. I'll read it more carefully tomorrow.
