Historical Facts

The following is an excerpt from the field notes of the original survey upon which our land ownership system was based. This part of the survey was done in the winter of 1836. The notes are a very good indication of the difficulties that the first surveyors in the area encountered. The measurements were recorded in chains, which are 66 feet in length. The Surveyor General's instructions required all surveys in mountainous area to be measured in 1/2 Gunter's chain (33 ft) because a full chain could not be held level, as the chainmen were sworn to do. It is still the duty of land surveyors, some 170 years later, to make every effort to find the evidence that these brave soles left behind. Of special interest is the reference on page 3 to the half leg of snow and the cold beyond conception. Most of the time the Deputy Surveyor in charge of the survey crew waited years to be paid the meager sum of a few dollars per mile.