USGS established section corners in "Indian Territory" (Oklahoma) in the late 1890's and placed iron post monuments with bronze caps. Does anyone have a picture of one of these monuments and what the wording on the cap reads?
The reason I ask is that I have found many 1890's USGS bench mark iron pipe monuments with the caps embossed for "Bench Mark", but have never seen a USGS monument embossed as a section corner. I am curious if they used the same caps stamped as "Bench Mark" as section corners. What I mean by embossed is that the wording is factory made and not field stamped.
I have several pics of these, and they at my office....and I am not.
But in a nutshell, they bare both. Some state "Benchmark" with a date, and some have standard GLO corner markings.
I am specifically talking about the 1898 and 1899 surveys with which I am familiar. These are mostly in Townships 2 through 5 North, Ranges 1 through 5 East. These can get confusing to follow. They are considered "Original Surveys" and not "Dependent Resurveys". Most of the original work was done in the 1870s. There are areas that NONE of the USGS survey's evidence is recoverable, but the older 1870's surveys are still in place and being honored.
What my colleagues and I have determined from notes:
Most of the 3" iron posts were set on Township and Range Lines, although we have found them on interior corners. If the notes describe the markings on the caps, the caps were probably set at that time. Some notes state "set 3" x 36" iron pipe" with no description of a tablet. A later vertical survey by the USGS came through and used these corners as permanent BM's. The "Benchmark" tablets were set a different time than the land corner surveys. This vertical work was done in conjunction with the initial publications of the quadrangle maps. If you are fortunate enough to have any 1897-1900 USGS Quads, you'll notice that the Township Corners all have an "X" and state "BM" by them.
A lot of work was done prior to statehood by the USGS. From what I have found they totally disregard (and destroyed) the original 1870's surveys. Some of the surveys actually fit rather well, some are just paper cartoons.
The one thing that we don't have is the caps. 99% of the 3" pipes we find have had the caps removed by folks over the years.
I would consider a USGS 3" pipe the corner if the surrounding evidence and notes corroborated its location. The "BM" cap was set upon the pipe at a later date, I believe. If I get up to the office today I will post the pics I have.
When USGS started placing the bench marks they were instructed to set them at the township corners so they could be found. Some of the USGS surveyors took this literally and set them within a few feet of the previously established township corners while others placed them a distance away. Imagine placing an iron pipe with bronze cap (bench mark) next to a wooden stake (section corner) in a mound. Guess what happened over the years? The section corner became obliterated and the iron pipe remained. I know this is true in Nebraska and South Dakota where iron post bench marks were placed next to mounds or stones. I am working on a story and trying to figure out how widespread this situation was.
Sometimes the USGS surveyor stated how far from the section corner the BM was placed, but others merely stated 'at the township corner' leading one to believe they were one in the same.
I might be wrong here, but I don't believe that the GLO had embossed caps until around 1908. Someone correct me if you have proof otherwise.
Example from Nebraska. All of these section corners referenced were established by the GLO in the 1860-70's and were pits and mounds. The USGS surveyor did not state the distance the bench mark was placed from the corner.
Example from South Dakota where the exact distance was stated from the section corner. Incidently, the section corner at this location today is a foot different is distance from the bench mark.
I've never seen any of the leveling notes on the loops down here in Indian Territory.
Here's a page from the notes from one on which I'm currently working.
This is pretty common down here. As he re-ran the east township line he set sandstones, marked appropriately. At the intersection of the parallel he set a 4" x 4' pipe (I previously stated 3"). He marked the cap in a standard fashion.
Interestingly, the bronze caps I've found intact are "folded" down over the sides of pipe, with a hammer, I'm assuming. This allowed hash markings, as stated. They are also fixed to the pipe with a rivet.
This particular pipe has no cap anymore, like most of them.
In light of the notes you posted, I too would be wary of a pipe that merely stated "Benchmark". I really don't think we have many (or any) of those down here. I have not ran into any of them that I know of.
His notes reflect 5.72 ch. to a standard corner (379.5'). That corner is existing and we measure 378.95' today. I'm pretty sure this pipe is the same as he set in 1897.
You've made me wonder about some of the others. I'm going to have to do some research and see if my cronies and I have used any of the "BMs" as corners. :bored:
Here's a good one from western Nebraska where the GLO resurvey in 1915 uncovered the original pits for the section corner and noted that the USGS bench mark was 3 links away! Then the GLO surveyors set their own 3" iron pipe with brass cap for the section corner.
Technically not a pincushion since one is a bench mark and the other a section corner.
Scary.
From what I'm remembering I don't think I've ever read any notes stating a BM was in the vicinity, leading me to believe the USGS cadastral work pre-dated the vertical work. One of my partners is from the SE part of the State and a lot more familiar with the USGS work than myself.
I've got some more info at the office. If I can get out of my 'jammies I need to get up there...I take "Casual Friday" as a literal term!
This is one I am trying to get notes on to see what happened in 1930. Either the bench mark was moved to be the township corner or it was mistaken for the township corner and stamped as such. Black Hills area southwest of Spearfish.
Yes it would be interesting to know exactly what was 2.3' from the post.
BTW, your left knee is sitting in what we call "poison ivy" down here. I hope you're one of us fortunate folks that are resistant to its evil spell!
My wife can look at poison ivy and break out for weeks. I usually get only a small rash unless I completely immerse myself in it.
Here is another interesting situation.
