The following sections about surveying history are provided by Olson Engineering, Inc. to help surveyors and other interested parties better understand the surveying past. We hope you find them useful and informative.
Introduction
Surveying usually involves research and a detailed understanding of situations in the past. Property transactions are traced back to the original patents from the U. S. Government. Rivers and land features noted in deeds are many times relative to where those features existed geographically at the time of the conveyance. Road and street right-of-ways widen and move over time. Surveyors have created property descriptions and located property lines since the arrival of the Pilgrims. The surveyor's personal records perpetuate the location of missing monuments and surveys long after the surveyor is gone.
The West was surveyed by the U. S. Government just before or after settlement occurred. In Oregon and Washington, this started in 1851. The habitable countryside was divided into square miles, called Sections, with controlling corners being set about every one-half mile. Wooden posts or stones monumented the corners, and trees were marked nearby to reference the corner. An important guiding principle is, "...these original corners on the boundaries of the surveyed Sections were to govern the property lines within, even if the corners were obliterated, if their positions could be perpetuated by other evidence." Surveyors are continually asking themselves questions such as, "Is this where the monument was set in 1873?"
Surveyors have naturally developed an appreciation of history, and seek out sources of historical information to aid them in their property surveys. Employees of Olson Engineering have found documentation, photos, lists and maps to help them better understand the surveying past. Some are posted here to help other surveyors and to expand the understanding of surveying.
General Land Office Surveyors of Washington
Introduction
by Jerry Olson, President, Olson Engineering, Inc.
Much of my time in the '60s, '70s and '80s was spent in calk boots, suspenders and vest doing General Land Office (GLO)-type surveys. Sure, there were some town surveys involved, but the ones I remember best were the ones that involved cadastral retracement.
After awhile, patterns of behavior for various GLO surveyors emerge, and it is obvious that better surveys will result if a "profile" of the surveyor you are retracing is developed. Local surveyors were exchanging information at chapter meetings, but at this time the extent of Contracts for individual GLO was unknown.
About 1980, Steve Johnson of the United States Forest Service was pursuing a very tough survey in the Entiat Valley. His research led him to the Department of Interior Archives at Sand Pointe in Seattle, Washington. Many of the mysteries of the General Land Office opened up when he found boxes of archived material dating back to the time of the Contract Deputy Surveyors. There were contracts, bonds, inspections, correspondence, and more.
The items of interest dealt with here were several lists that catalogued the material by "GLO Contract", "Deputy Surveyor", "Date", and "Section, Township, and Range." Steve gave me a copy of the lists, and I set out to organize it. First, however, I dove in and found out where the Deputy Surveyors I had been following had surveyed. I used that information to contact other land surveyors and compare notes.
This was before databases or PC word programs. We copied the lists hundreds of times and then collated the two-foot-tall pile of copies. A private stenographer was hired to type up the draft list and Land Surveyors Association of Washington (LSAW) chapter members helped me edit the results. Even in the final result, there were many errors and much illegible information. The association paid for the printing, hoping to get reimbursed out of the sale of the product. My wife, Patti, did the cover illustrations.
After the development of the "Surveyors Database" in the mid-'90s, I took on the task of redoing the First Land Surveyors of Washington. The new information in the database helped get the names right, clear up mixed data and sort out brothers and fathers in surveying families. Also, many Contracts were under the Oregon Surveyor General, which had caused confusion. I created the information in Microsoft Word, using "Tables". Denny DeMeyer and Wes Schlenker helped review the new product.
The Department of Interior information is mostly from the original source and hand-written lists. It is my hope that new computerized data will emerge from an agency having higher technical capabilities. I have viewed many township plats online to correct data.
Jerry Olson: jolson@olsonengr.com or wcrolsons@tds.net
Washington State Surveyors Database
Introduction
by Jerry Olson, President, Olson Engineering, Inc.
The Annual Convention of The Western Federation of Land Surveyors in 1979 had an excellent historical theme. I came back with an understanding of the Solar Compass and a blank form to hand out to other surveyors to gather historical information. The form asked, "Where are your survey records kept?" and, "What other survey records do you have?" Jim Benthin, when asked if the Land Surveyors Association of Washington (LSAW) would endorse the form, said, "Yes, and by the way, you are now the LSAW Historical Chairman!" (a position not previously existing)
I sent the forms out, gave them away at annual meetings and chapter meetings, and ended up with a pile of completed forms. What to do with these? Computers were in their infancy, but I bought a Compac 8088 and Dbase II. The database was on its way.
Someone gave me a list of County Surveyors and Engineers from the beginning of settlement. Denny DeMeyer gave me many things, including the list of logging railroads. Ken Gregory gave me his list of survey records. Steve Johnson and his crew researching at Sand Pointe Archives developed tremendous General Land Office (GLO) information.
Association rosters were entered. While serving my terms on the Board of Registration, the travel around the state presented opportunities to visit many Auditors offices.
Getting involved in the spirit of collecting data inspired me to read many state and local history books. When surveyors (this is defined fairly loosely in the database) were mentioned, I copied the information and entered it.
If you would rather search the database directly, rather than downloading the pdf files, Click here.
Jerry Olson: jolson@olsonengr.com or wcrolsons@tds.net
