Women In Surveying

Well, back then it was either that or the other profession. 🙂

Looking at those smiles and understanding the norms of the time, I suspect this is a gag. In those days, people would get a good belly laugh to see something so unlikely; just as we would laugh to see a bunch of guys dressed as Cantina girls today.

Got a good laugh from Deral's post and strongly suspect Gene is correct. Frank, could you tell me where you found this picture? My daughter is a LS/PE and I would like to get a good copy and frame it and put it on her office wall. 😀

If the clothes, hats, gloves and boots did not fit, it might have been a joke. I am going to believe this was an actual crew of women.
jud

I have worked with several women in the field. They have always been affectionately known as Rod Broads.

From the replies above, it's amazing to see how far we haven't come.......:-|

After all, we did have Rosie the Riveter......is that any less likely to be than this?

> I have worked with several women in the field. They have always been affectionately known as Rod Broads.

That is not what we called the ones I have worked with.

That's what I was going to say. If they were in their husbands' work clothes for a funny picture, they wouldn't fit that well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minidoka_Project

I agree with Angelo. I've worked with several women in surveying. Many have been very good surveyors.

I suspect that during WWII, just as Rosie the riviter went to the factory, some women filled the role of surveyor left empty by men who went to war.

I found it on the "surveying" page of Wikipedia.

Speculating on an old photo and commenting on it's character is nothing more that a mind exercise. To extrapolate this discussion to the current mind set of the commentators is insulting. I believe the photo to be a gag; this does not have anything to do with my current thoughts on women in the surveying profession.

That being said, coming from the wilds of southeast Texas, I still laugh at the thought of any woman chopping line in Houston in August. Just not going to happen, enlighten though we may be.

"That being said, coming from the wilds of southeast Texas, I still laugh at the thought of any woman chopping line in Houston in August. Just not going to happen, enlighten though we may be."

Gene - I could introduce you to a couple of women I have worked with in East Texas who have done just that in wilds much wilder than Houston. While not the best brush cutters I ever saw, they could certainly hold their own and never complained about the heat, cold or hard work. One of them even worked in the field until she was over 8 months pregnant and had to be forced into the office until she gave birth. Neither had anything to prove, they just preferred working in the field.

Would her name have been "Sally" (and her husband Tom)?
They were both foresters up there @ SFA (Go Lumberjacks) and are now in Central Tejas.
Yes, she could hold her own and still does, even as a grandmother.

Sorry if you feel "insulted", but what a person says and writes usually are good indicators about how they feel and what they think.

Actually, the second paragraph ("I still laugh at the thought of any woman chopping line in Houston......just not going to happen") only reinforces what appears to be your originally posted opinion regarding women in the surveying profession, back then as well as now.

Here's a possible test: Repeat the responses to a female family member close to you (your wife or sister, whatever) and see what she thinks.

Women were common hands on USC&GS geodetic crews during and after the Great Depression.

>
> That being said, coming from the wilds of southeast Texas, I still laugh at the thought of any woman chopping line in Houston in August. Just not going to happen, enlighten though we may be.

I worked for a Party Chief in bug infested central Alaska in 100 degrees that was a woman...she could sling a chainsaw better then many guys...

here's a photo of her on another job...I'm kinda proud of her

> Speculating on an old photo and commenting on it's character is nothing more that a mind exercise. To extrapolate this discussion to the current mind set of the commentators is insulting. I believe the photo to be a gag; this does not have anything to do with my current thoughts on women in the surveying profession.
>
> That being said, coming from the wilds of southeast Texas, I still laugh at the thought of any woman chopping line in Houston in August. Just not going to happen, enlighten though we may be.

Gene, It has been done. Over 25 years ago. Time for your face to turn red.

I also had females driving blue tops on Sheldon Road for me in 79 in the heat in the summer.

As far as working hard in the heat, my grandmother born in 1898, lived and worked for many years on a farm/ranch in NW Oklahoma without ANY kind of a/c for many years.

What you are saying about females has NO basis in fact.

:coffee:

Hey Gene. I'm a woman surveyor in Alaska, and my bet is I could out-do you through the muskegs of the tundra, and out hub you in the frozen fields at 40 below zero. I don't give a flying fart what you say, I've been doing it here in ALASKA for over 15 years now... And you've seen the tv shows, EVERYTHING is tougher in Alaska. So think about it.