[PLUG-TALK] Google Maps causes military conflict?

Rich Shepard rshepard at appl-ecosys.com
Thu Nov 11 19:17:57 UTC 2010


On Thu, 11 Nov 2010, John Jason Jordan wrote:

> The problems are due to the way the area was surveyed as the area was
> being settled. All surveys in Oregon and Washington start at the
> Willamette Stone, located just outside of NW Portland. Most of northern
> California was surveyed from the summit of Mt. Diablo, located just east
> of the bay area. Both monuments were established in 1851. By the time the
> surveyors got from Mt. Diablo up to the border and from the Willamette
> stone down to the border, so many errors had accumulated that sometimes as
> much as a quarter section of Oregon really belongs in California, and
> vice-versa. (A section is one mile square.) The errors even include a
> town, which was supposed to be entirely in Oregon but ended up with the
> state line down the middle.

   Now add in Donation Land Claims (DLCs) and you really have fun. Before the
Public Lands Survey System (PLSS) established Townships, Ranges, and
Sections (36 per Township, square, 1 mile per side -- 640 acres), sections
where plopped everywhere and in every shape imaginable. That's why you'll
see topo maps of Oregon and Washington with section numbers > 36 and odd
shapes, including slivers. A major mess.

Rich




More information about the PLUG-talk mailing list