Newbie

[ronstar]

I've been a surveyor all my working life and recall many fond memories of finding benchmarks over the past 36 years. Now as I enter retirement and see all of the interesting posts here, I plan on including benchmark hunting as one of my hobbies. This should be a great time.

 

Thanks to all for your interest in benchmarks. I never knew that they were so popular.

[TillaMurphs]

Welcome aboard ronstar!

 

Always good to have a new benchmark hunter.

 

I always enjoy posts from professionals like you – helping to educate pure hobbyists like me.

 

WELCOME!

[Bill93]

Welcome aboard (although I see you registered 4 years ago). I hope we can learn from your experience as questions come up. Where are you located?

[ronstar]

Welcome aboard ronstar!

 

Always good to have a new benchmark hunter.

 

I always enjoy posts from professionals like you – helping to educate pure hobbyists like me.

 

WELCOME!

Thanks for the welcome! Hopefully I can help some hobbyists, but the hobbyists here seem to be very knowledgeable about benchmarks.

[ronstar]

Welcome aboard (although I see you registered 4 years ago). I hope we can learn from your experience as questions come up. Where are you located?

 

Thanks - yes I did register 4 years ago. I started out reading a lot of posts, and found several benchmarks around my area (Morris, Il). I lost interest finding benchmarks on my home turf (most I've used at work), and I didn't follow the forum for a few years.

 

Now I'm getting back into it since benchmark hunting is a great companion hobby to hiking. So I'm going after some obscure benchmarks that will take a lot of hiking or exploring to find.

 

I'll try to help others when I have info that can be helpful.

[Bill93]

I've hunted around Morris when we went to the Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival (which I believe did not happen this year). Is there any chance of finding the cap and bolt marks like MF0203 along the road west of the park on the north side of the canal? I saw no way to locate the ones along there even if the road work hasn't taken them out.

 

I couldn't even find MF0430 on the bridge abutment just west of where the gravel road crosses the canal, and that should have been easy.

[ronstar]

I've hunted around Morris when we went to the Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival (which I believe did not happen this year). Is there any chance of finding the cap and bolt marks like MF0203 along the road west of the park on the north side of the canal? I saw no way to locate the ones along there even if the road work hasn't taken them out.

 

I couldn't even find MF0430 on the bridge abutment just west of where the gravel road crosses the canal, and that should have been easy.

 

I'll bring a metal detector to look for MF0203, but it could be gone - Old Stage Road has been redone several times since 1903. Also, MF0430 is on 5 mile bridge per your photo. The bridge is a new laminated wooden structure - not sure if the abutments were replaced. Maybe I'll shoot the elevs of the abutments (i'll have to take a survey grade GPS receiver from work) to see how close they are to the 509.77 mentioned in the datasheet

 

These 2 look like they'll be a great start (and challenge) for me.

Edited July 8, 2010 by ronstar

[ronstar]

Bill -I visited MF0430 and MF0203.

MF0430 may be gone - I'll take a more detailed look tomorrow

MF0203 probably gone as well - construction has taken place in area to relocate roadway and / or utilities. Description doesn't have any current items to measure from. I did not find anything with my metal detector.

 

I did find and post my first find - MF0164

Edited July 9, 2010 by ronstar

[kayakbird]

 

MF0430 may be gone - I'll take a more detailed look tomorrow

 

 

ronstar, Bill93 & all,

 

The bridge seat would be a different location than the top of the abutment headwall, wouldn't it?

 

MF0430'NORTH, SET IN THE TOP OF THE EAST END OF THE NORTH STONE BRIDGE

MF0430'SEAT OF A SINGLE SPAN STEEL BRIDGE OVER THE ILLINOIS-MICHIGAN

 

And congratulations ronstar, on starting your logs with a very old, somewhat unique mark, with a personal history.

 

kayakbird

Edited July 9, 2010 by kayakbird

[Bill93]

Yes different from the headwall, but I thought the abutment included the bridge seat and backwall and maybe headwall.

 

"abutment - a substructure supporting the end of a ... span

... and, in general, retaining or supporting the approach embankment

(From an Ohio DOT manual)

 

and as this picture shows, the area I looked at does appear to be supporting the bridge

Edited July 9, 2010 by Bill93

[ronstar]

Yes different from the headwall, but I thought the abutment included the bridge seat and backwall and maybe headwall.

 

"abutment - a substructure supporting the end of a ... span

... and, in general, retaining or supporting the approach embankment

(From an Ohio DOT manual)

 

and as this picture shows, the area I looked at does appear to be supporting the bridge

 

Bill - I found the same situation you show in your photo. I would think that the "bridge seat" would be the section of stone that the remaining bridge steel is bolted to. There are other levels of stone abutment, but your photo shows the stone that is 0.5' below the bridge floor at a point 1.7' west of the east end. Some of the stone is chipped away though