The gaps post..

Excellent question. Many possible answers. One basic problem being that we rarely have more than one or two originals out of the eight normally set. Many times we have none. Different surveyors have set something over time that may or may not be anywhere close to where the documents say it was set or, for that matter, where it was actually set, if at all. In virtually every section in my State, no center corner was set. Also we have the missing closing quarter corners on Standard Meridians, for example. The job was not really completed as we today wish it had been. Add to this the expert measurers who believe things must be EXACTLY at their calculated microscopic point.

So this will be an encroaching post?

Please forgive me...

In Western Ks we have fraudulent Surveys. For example you can read through the plat of a township, and notice it was done in 4-9 days. That would be difficult with several crews using GPS, and 4x4 trucks, let alone with the equipment they had. Many feel they sat in a camp drinking whiskey, drawing a fantasy map. The Survey General visited West Kansas, and said it wasn't fit for humans to live, so not much care was taken. Many areas don't appear to have been visited in the field at all. Also the previous comments are accurate as well. Sometimes we can find several bars near a Section Corner Position. Which one is right if any.

> not sure if I wanna start a sub thread inside the gaps..overlaps thread.
>
> But could someone explain to a guy from Connecticut (colonial surveyor) why, or describe an instance where, the GLO monuments would not hold as the subdivision line, since it appears on the original map?

I think Colonial Surveying is a totally different animal and the more I read the more I discover the different thought patterns. What may be totally unacceptable up here is perfectly fine elsewhere. I guess you're a product of your environment.

Ralph

I wouldn't assume fraud just because the survey was done in 4-9 days. They probably did the township and range lines before the subdivision. A Deputy with two compass and chaining crews would only need to do one six mile line per day per crew. They for the most part didn't have much in the way and they didn't need to find anything like you do in retracement. They were making the record so not much research like today.

The more PLSS retracement experience I get the more convinced I've become that they were really there and did mostly what they were supposed to do. They may have had some methods not strictly per the book (as the notes are required to be) but they did survey and mark the lines for the most part.

I heartily concur with Mr. Day.:good: :good: :good: Those old boys knew how to work and could cover a lot of ground. I hear a lot of people comment about "drunk" surveyors- it gives me pause to wonder how much effort they put into finding the original. After all, most GLO isn't metallic, and wasn't originally festooned with paint and ribbon....

the other Mark R.

" They may have had some methods not strictly per the book (as the notes are required to be) but they did survey and mark the lines for the most part."

:good: I believe you're right. The evidence is there.

Don

Also found the same to be the case in San Diego County.

I mean, a 20 mile drive out of town on the highway, another hour offroading on jeep trails, then another hour of hiking through brush, then you find an 80 year old rock mound within a few feet of record. Hats off to those guys.

These areas were resurveyed by County Surveyors, because no stones were ever found. I've just heard of these from other Surveyors, but they also mentioned topography calls for creeks etc., made no sense also.

I hear ya Ralph...

And I agree..

The gaps post..for Mark R

Imagine what I thought when I saw the cover sheet for this set of notes:

This is a full township with 85 corners to set. For this part of the country it's pretty flat, but quite a bit of timber. Three days-the shortest three of the year-frozen ground.