Stone monuments are pretty unusual in my area; I think I've only seen two of them in Yolo County before today. This section corner monument is shown on several maps, one as recent as 2010, so digging it up wasn't exactly a newsworthy event. However, it was definitely worth a photo:
I drove a quartet of 8" spikes around it to make it easier for the next guy to find.
Edit: It's a 1/4 corner, not a section corner.
Jim,
That looks a lot like a stone in Ohio, except for the spray paint.
How do we know it is a stone and not a rock...the graffiti!
John Evers, post: 429024, member: 467 wrote: How do we know it is a stone and not a rock...the graffiti!
My favorite answer to a client when they ask that question is: "Because I found it right where it should be." We have a great deal of stones set by county surveyors to perpetuate stakes/mounds as well as early section breakdowns. Only about half the time do I find a description of the stone in my research, and it's rare (1/50) to find any original markings on the stone like a chiseled 'X'.
Steve
I was at one this week that the 1998 RS said found original GLO stone, replaced with pipe/cap. I looked in the mound but didn't see any large enough. I didn't look very hard, though because it was a quick run through the forest identifying as many monuments as possible. This is in the mountains east of Porterville, a little known grove of huge Sequoia trees. The other mixed conifers are pretty much ravaged especially the pines, firs are faring better.
Mostly the GLO didn't use the Sequoias for BTs, I guess for a few reasons, they were the marketable timber so you don't want BTs that will soon disappear and the bark is very thick. We saw one healed face but it wouldn't be politic to open it. One of the Firs is open complete with scribing in excellent condition.
Dave Karoly, post: 429101, member: 94 wrote: Mostly the GLO didn't use the Sequoias for BTs, I guess for a few reasons, they were the marketable timber so you don't want BTs that will soon disappear and the bark is very thick. We saw one healed face but it wouldn't be politic to open it. One of the Firs is open complete with scribing in excellent condition.
Is it politic to survey anymore? Dig alert, right of entry laws, tree huggers.... I can not imagine following the manual and scribing trees to perpetuate a corner anymore. We were taught to leave evidence and now I try and not leave any evidence that I was ever there. Crazy times, no country for old men, Jp
Jp7191, post: 429127, member: 1617 wrote: Is it politic to survey anymore? Dig alert, right of entry laws, tree huggers.... I can not imagine following the manual and scribing trees to perpetuate a corner anymore. We were taught to leave evidence and now I try and not leave any evidence that I was ever there. Crazy times, no country for old men, Jp
The monument is existent so, no, I'm not going to open a 2000 year old tree, it's not necessary.
Dave Karoly, post: 429132, member: 94 wrote: The monument is existent so, no, I'm not going to open a 2000 year old tree, it's not necessary.
I don't disagree, but I find you can not hardly break a branch while surveying anymore without someone having a problem. Jp
Nice stone, Jim. I must ask why some of our peers instinctively act like mongrel curs and mark whatever they find with pee paint?
Sigh!
The paint thing is common around here, especially for buried monuments of any kind. We have lots of pavement -- and hardpan soil that might as well be pavement -- and it's reassuring to catch a flash of day-glo orange when chipping through that stuff, so I'm not complaining.
Nice find! How many holes did you dig!
Jim Frame, post: 429197, member: 10 wrote: We have lots of pavement -- and hardpan soil that might as well be pavement
Caliche is nature's pavement.
Your stones are fascinating. Pity early surveyors here didn't make more use of such.
On other hand timber was so plentiful, as were stones.
Perhaps they thought stones would look too much part of the landscape. Plus being predominantly basalt or dolerite not very easy to mark.
Jim Frame, post: 429197, member: 10 wrote: -- and it's reassuring to catch a flash of day-glo orange when chipping through that stuff
When I bury or refind an old buried mark I place about 1.5 metres flagging tape over it and cover over.
Spikes etc I can tie to get a length wrapped around its neck.
The tape appears long before one gets to the mark.
Jpaws, post: 429346, member: 12545 wrote: Nice find! How many holes did you dig!
Two - one during an optimistic effort to eyeball the intersection of a projected road centerline and a tape pull off an old fence post, the other after calculating a position from some other recovered monuments. I was only off about a foot and a half with the first hole start, but it quickly became apparent that blind digging wasn't a good use of my time in this case.