Section Marker a Mile Off?

[+Rumpled]

In a hiking forum a picture was posted of a section monument about a foot high or so that has four sections listed on four sides, but it is not at that location.

 

Here's the original thread, it's about halfway down page 3; couldn't figure out how to post a single post. Credit to HikeUp, Matt and Hikin' Jim for the pics and maps

Hiking Page 3

Any ideas why someone would go to the trouble of making the monument and putting it about a mile away?

 

Here's the monument

 

From the thread about it I got these coord off a map

N 34 16.031 W 118 16.550 more or less

 

Searching NGS dataheet retrieval finds nothing within 1.4 miles, and nothing that seems it would be this section marker in the spot it's in or where the sections meet.

 

The marker is at "C" in this map and the sections meet to the east at "G"

Acme Map

 

Another marker shown is Random Point. That's a good name.

 

So, any theories? My guess is that the marker was made and not used and then used elsewhere. That, or somone went to a lot of trouble to move it.

[+jwahl]

My best guess, is that someone did a survey and made up several monuments off site, hauled them up there to be set and someone made a mistake in which one they were setting. One needs to looks at where the proper corner appears to be to see if there is a similar type there.

 

Also you could check with the local government agencies to see if they have commissioned a survey or have a copy of it. In CA surveys are usually recorded and the surveyor's license number might be on the monument somewhere. You might be able to find a copy of the survey in the county courthouse.

 

- jlw

[+Okiebryan]

I'd say that CA surveyors didn't have licenses when that mark was placed.

[AZcachemeister]

Since the monument DOES appear to be on the section line, perhaps there is some misinterpretation of what it is supposed to be marking?

Are there similar monuments that are actually at the corners?

[Z15]

The person or persons who set the mark were lost and set it in the wrong location and no one ever checked on them. Been know to happen. All to often these are not set by the surveyor but his help or its left to a contractor to set.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Z15