ALL of the [so called] "Field Notes."
Here's a nice little blurb in the 1887 "field notes" relating to a PLSS Township that I am currently working on:
ÛÏBefore commencing this re-survey I took an observation of the Star Polaris in order to determine the variation of the needle on the true meridian ÛÒ I find this to be 17å¡30'E ÛÒ But in accordance with instructions contained in Hm: Conners letter ÛÏEÛ of Jany 20th 1887 I run this township on a variation of 18å¡45'E.Û
And YES, if you rotate the Township Plat (and all of the courses in the "field notes") counterclockwise 1å¡15'...it fits the recovered original stone monuments quite well.
Ya gotta love those guys back in Washington...
Loyal
Hmmm....the Denver Regional Archives has this entry for the Utah BLM holdings, "General Letters Received. April 1855 - May 1889", which includes "Letters from the Commissioner of the General Land Office concerning surveys and general administrative matters...".
The next time I visit, I may have to see why the variation was fixed at 18å¡45' East. The reason is probably as deep as those from 1900-1904 that required the patent positions of prior official surveys to be plotted in an, "ink of distinctive color".