Unknown NGS BM

[psyclawps]

Have found a 1938 benchmark on the Platte River pioneers trail near Denver Colorado that does not exist in the official datasheets. Wondering if I can challege anybody out there to prove me wrong.

 

A Granite Monument was errected by the State of Colorado next to the disk commemerating the trail's 1820-1840 significance!

 

Coordinates I got at 7' accuracy were N39.79144 W104.95938 and the BM has 5158.62 FEET, BM NO 58.

[Bill93]

A picture of the disc would help, or at least the full markings. I'm guessing that it is not a C&GS disk (predecessor agency name for NGS), but more likely a US Geological Survey disk, because C&GS rarely stamped an elevation and USGS often did.

 

Only a small percentage of the USGS disks are in the NGS data base.

[CallawayMT]

Have found a 1938 benchmark on the Platte River pioneers trail near Denver Colorado that does not exist in the official datasheets. Wondering if I can challege anybody out there to prove me wrong.

 

A Granite Monument was errected by the State of Colorado next to the disk commemerating the trail's 1820-1840 significance!

 

Coordinates I got at 7' accuracy were N39.79144 W104.95938 and the BM has 5158.62 FEET, BM NO 58.

 

psyclawps,

 

You found one of the thousands of non-NGS benchmarks located around the country. What you did find was probably one of the many USGS benchmarks which were used in the making of the 7 1/2' quadrangle maps. Here is an image of the topo, with your specific benchmark located on the quad.

5158 benchmark

 

Happy Hunting,

CallawayMT

[psyclawps]

Thanks for the info; surprised just how quick you found it. So am I to understand that there is a datasheet on the BM? I understand that Groundspeak might not have it in the database for various reasons, but it's curious to me how you were able to come up with good info so quickly; I really would like to see more than a map.

[+t8r]

Thanks for the info; surprised just how quick you found it. So am I to understand that there is a datasheet on the BM? I understand that Groundspeak might not have it in the database for various reasons, but it's curious to me how you were able to come up with good info so quickly; I really would like to see more than a map.

 

psyclawps it's not a question of right or wrong. The Usgs is a separate agency from ngs, even though a lot of ngs marks include the usgs logo.

 

Usgs has never posted it's database on the web. Ngs has. The geocaching benchmark database is built from that web presence. Additionally the geocaching benchmark database has not been updated for about 6 years. If you want recent ngs info you can go to their online database. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/datasheet.prl .

 

I have been reading these forums for about 2 months now and they are a goldmine of such info. Especially the benchmark forum. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showforum=10

 

There is even a user who posts there who appears to work ar USGS. I have seen his posts that indicate he has access to their files. Or maybe he lives near their headquarters. Anyway the only way you will get access to their database is to go there and look.

 

The fun is in the hunt.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

psyclawps -

 

The USGS, as t8r says, does not have their benchmark database on the web. In fact, they don't even have a database per se, but they do have file cabinets of datasheets in various USGS offices around the country. The NGS had the same situation too, but spent millions of dollars paying people to type in the data from paper copies to make their database.

 

Apparently if you write to the USGS office you can get a copy of the datasheet from them. However, if you already have found the marker you don't really need thier datasheet to find it!

 

If you like, you can log your find on the US Benchmarks Waymarking site. This site, also run by Groundspeak, is primarily for those marks that are not included in geocaching's circa 1999 copy of the NGS database. Such logs are mostly just for fun, as apparently the USGS is not all that interested in reports on the condition of their marks like the NGS is.

 

DaveD of the NGS sometimes posts information in these forums from USGS paper datasheets. He apparently has a paper library of their information.