I am putting together a story about unusual descriptions I have come across at the end of the GLO subdivision contract notes where the deputy summarized the township in the "General Description". Most of the time these are pretty boring and straightforward such as the soil condition, trees, rivers, settlers, etc.
Some, however get to be bizarre such as Edward Stahle writing page after page about nothing being in a particular township that he had subdivided in western Wyoming.
"...we did not find any banana peelings, coconut bark, peanut shells, or corn husks."
"...we are not entirely void of live companionship. Horned toads, scorpions, centipedes, and many other charming bed fellows are quite plentiful".
Nathan Cook in Nebraska wrote that the buffalo were making playthings out of his wooden stakes for section corners as soon as he moved away from them. George Fairfield in Nebraska wondered about the final thoughts of ancient animals as they took their last breath before sinking under the mud in a bog he came across.
Stuff like the above is what I am looking for if anyone would care to share or point me to them.
Mr. Bilbo, a Louisiana Deputy Surveyor made a sketch in his field book showing himself sitting on a log with a jug nearby and a caption below read: "Here I am but where the hell am I?" I think that was in the 1880s in Calcasieu Parish, SW Louisiana.
I read one that said something like "unable to finish township due to hostiles in the area". He meant the local Native Tribe!
I don't have anything to contribute right now, Jerry, but that is a wonderful concept for a study.
You have good instincts for an interesting story.
Don
Not exactly PLSS, but ...
this is what Andrew Ellicott wrote in describing the land while working on the survey of the Western boundary of Pennsylvania:
" If I could picture this part of the Western Country, you would wonder why it could ever be an object of contention. Conceive a Country composed of an infinite number of very High Hills, narrow at the Top, and only separated by narrow Crevices, or Chinks, as for Vallies there is none - these Hills are Inhabited at present by Bears, Wolves, Dear, &c and covered by tall Timber, and Weeds; among the latter are many Serpents, particularly the Rattle Snake ....."
It seems that someone once posted some notes from a surveyor in Wisconsin or Michigan about being overrun by mosquitoes. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
The original government notes for the Disney World area called it "worthless scrub"
That worthless scrub goes for about 200K an acre today.
My place is depicted as "miserable swamp", it's amazing what a few drainage ditches will do.
I thought "flah-rah-dah" WAS the native term for "worthless, gator-infested swamp".
:-/
My first survey in Louisiana involved running a “true bearing” on a range line. It was for a major land owner in the area. I had the xeroxed original field notes in hand.
This line kept transecting snake-like meandering Bedico creek which was more like a small river that was loaded with gators and cottonmouths etc. The terrain eventually went from swamp to marsh during the course of the survey. We had a small Jon boat. In a course of a mile the line crossed the Bedico about 5 times.
Reading the notes for a particular length of the original notes the note keeper scribed that one of the field assistants was refusing to swim anymore. He had walked away from the survey stating that he was heading back to New Orleans on his own.
I wondered if he made it back to New Orleans. As for the survey party progress, they went another ¾ miles or so before they gave it up and headed out.
Ever heard of a "goniometer" ?
J.P.
This really isn't notes per-se, but a diary kept by Lieutenant Lorenzo Sitgreaves of the U.S. Topographical Engineers in 1850:
A DIARY ACCOUNT OF A CREEK BOUNDARY SURVEY, 1850.
This is a really interesting account of the survey through the eyes of the Lieutenant. An excerpt:
"The party was there [Fort Gibson] completed," Sitgreaves explained, "by hiring additional men, the purchase of animals. etc., and took the field on the 21st of June. It consisted, besides myself, of Lieutenant [I. C.] Woodruff, T. Engrs., Mr. Isaac IT. Smith, Assistant Surveyor, Dr. S. W. Woodhouse, physician and naturalist, a wagon master and thirty men; three ox wagons aid one spring wagon for transporting the instruments; and five spare horses. It was found that the requisite blacksmith's tools could be carried in the wagons, and the travelling forge with which I was furnished was therefore turned over to the commanding officer at Ft. Gibson, and an additional wagon obtained from the quartermaster."
I found this interesting entry:
"Tuesday, 23rd. This morning after breakfast we started on the main line, course due west. Smith took charge of the theodolite and I accompanied the chainmen, marking the topography of the country we passed over. We passed through nearly a mile of woods with five or six creeks with steep high banks through which I had to stake my way, being very hard work to me. After this Mayhew will accompany the chain and I shall take the goniometer to keep the course where the target cannot be seen."
I had to look up goniometer...never heard of one until I read that. I'm still not sure how he used it.
