I'm going on 'vacation' tomorrow and headed back to the Black Hills of South Dakota for five days in search of more 115-year-old USGS bench marks. This time I'm going into some remote areas that I've never been to before. Most of these old bench marks have never been updated on any reports or datasheets, so using the original 1898 descriptions make them a challenge to find. These are on the Deadwood Datum.
Here are previous bench marks that Kurt Luebke and I have recovered.
http://www.penryfamily.com/surveying/usgssddeadwoodbm.html
Deadwood Datum story is here:
http://www.amerisurv.com/PDF/TheAmericanSurveyor_Penry-TheDeadwoodDatum_Vol9No7.pdf
You should have given me some notice. I'd have been tempted to come join you - assuming you'd have me.
Its getting late in the season there since Deadwood has already had 8" of snow. My trip was only decided one week ago based upon the predicted forecast. Perhaps next year some of us can plan an outing there. There are endless old things to find in the Black Hills from GLO, USGS, C&GS, Forest Monuments, mining claims, military monuments, etc. There are also a lot of intermediate century-old BM's like spikes or copper nails in trees such as those being found by Mike Berry in WA. This really tests a surveyor's ability to retrace the notes and locate.
Jerry, let's do a little brainstorming and planning. Maybe a day of a couple of workshops for some CEU's and then a couple days in the field hunting old marks. Nothing as elaborate as an SHS Rendezvous, but something to bring out a few people.
If others read this you might want to indicate your thoughts on this.
Dave,
That's an awesome idea. I would love to tag along and learn. If it was planned out enough in advance to work out the travel, I think it could be an awesome experience.
Jimmy
I see you have a $250 fine for disturbing the mark.
Does that relate to the original mark? or is that a later cap? (I looked at an 1898 mark in your link)
We haven't updated much as the original fine was probably a weeks wages, maybe a months.
Hardly buy a good feed now.
An interesting pastime.