A vertical control mark later used as a horizontal control mark?

[TillaMurphs]

We found a circa 1900 USGS vertical control mark. It appears to be listed in the NGS database as being monumented by the USGS in 1946 as a horizontal control mark. We found this mark located exactly per the box score from two 1946 RMs.

 

Everything about this bronze-cap-riveted-on-a-wrought-iron-post indicates that it is the 1946 station mark. Would the 1946 crew have found this old mark in place and just used it as horizontal control? Or could they have pulled it up from the general area and re-used it as the station mark?

 

The only discrepancy about this mark is that the 1946 monumentation says…

 QC0882                          STATION DESCRIPTION
QC0882
QC0882'DESCRIBED BY US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 1946 (DHK)
QC0882'THE STATION IS A U.S.G.S. BENCH MARK LOCATED ALONG THE MAIN ROAD
QC0882'ABOUT 15.0 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF BAKER.  0.7 MILE WEST OF THE
QC0882'MC EWEN POST OFFICE.  45 PACES NORTH OF AND APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET
QC0882'HIGHER THAN THE CENTER LINE OF THE MAIN ROAD, A BRONZE DISK ON
QC0882'TOP OF A 4 INCH IRON PIPE SET IN CONCRETE AND NOT STAMPED.

mentioning that it is “Not Stamped”. The mark is clearly stamped “4168 BC”. Is it possible that they meant that the 1946 crew did not add any stamping?

 

I just wondered if you had any thoughts on how a vertical control mark could end up as a horizontal mark (or maybe I am totally missing something)?

 

 

Here is some more of the datasheet:

 QC0882 ***********************************************************************
QC0882  DESIGNATION -  MCEWEN        
QC0882  PID         -  QC0882
QC0882  STATE/COUNTY-  OR/BAKER
QC0882  COUNTRY     -  US
QC0882  USGS QUAD   -  PHILLIPS LAKE (1984)
QC0882
QC0882                         *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
QC0882  ______________________________________________________________________
QC0882* NAD 83(1991) POSITION- 44 42 21.13939(N) 118 07 01.99866(W)   ADJUSTED  
QC0882* NAVD 88 ORTHO HEIGHT -  1270.17   (+/-2cm)    4167.2   (feet) VERTCON   
QC0882  ______________________________________________________________________
QC0882  HORZ ORDER      -  FIRST
QC0882  VERT ORDER      -  THIRD ? (See Below)
QC0882
I HAVE SNIPPED A PORTION OUT HERE
QC0882|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
QC0882| PID    Reference Object                     Distance      Geod. Az  |
QC0882|                                                           dddmmss.s |
QC0882| CD7965 MCEWEN RM 1        48.52ft           14.788 METERS 105.3 deg |
QC0882| CD7966 MCEWEN RM 2        47.82ft           14.577 METERS 281.6 deg |
QC0882| CD7964 MCEWEN AZ MK                                       127.8 deg |
QC0882|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
QC0882
QC0882_MARKER: Z = SEE DESCRIPTION
QC0882_SETTING: 0 = UNSPECIFIED SETTING
QC0882
QC0882  HISTORY     - Date     Condition        Report By
QC0882  HISTORY     - 1946     MONUMENTED       USGS
QC0882

 

Here is the disk and the post:

 

 

And here is one of the RMs:

 

More photos, including an exceprt from a 1901 USGS bulletin, can be found here: QC0882

 

Thanks.

Edited June 27, 2012 by TillaMurphs

[kayakbird]

TillaMurphs,

 

It appears to have been quite common for a later CGS survey to turn a USGS (or other) bench mark into a triangulation station; and some times to over-stamp a bench mark and incorporate it into their own run.

 

CGS 1920 U 18 on 1903 USGS 4195 H

 

 

This one retains the original date, but that seldom happens. I just now posted some photos of a 1910 GLO 1/4 corner that the GLO turned into a triangulation station with a 1948 date - maybe because of the easy tie to the nearby 1948 CGS station 1948 WOLF TIE TRI.

 

GLO TRI STATION

 

 

Will look for a couple more examples when I return from a few days on the Wild & Scenic Missouri River. kayakbird

[kayakbird]

During last weeks three day kayak camping trip on the Missouri River below the Judith Landing I made an unplanned re-visit to this 1933 CGS bench mark that was enhanced in 1948 with RM's and tied to the nearby USGS 1948 tri-station GAGING STATION SR1080.

 

1933 K 65 - 1948 K64 RM 2

 

 

When K 65 was planted in 1933 it was along the main road (MT 19) from Lewistown north to Malta. The current highway, US 191, and Fred Robinson Bridge 16 river miles downstream were not constructed until the late 1950's.

 

It seems a bit unusual that a Tri-station would be placed in this rather tight river bottom. It did reference the gage station:

 

SR0220|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

SR0220| PID Reference Object Distance Geod. Az |

SR0220| dddmmss.s |

SR0220| SR1080 GAGING STATION APPROX. 0.7 KM 2075511.9 |

SR0220|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

 

which was tied to 1885 MORC BEND:

SR1080'A 4-FOOT STAND WILL SEE TRIANGULATION STATION BEND (MORC).

 

and BEND tied back to K 65.

 

SR1081'ANTELOPE, CRYSTAL (MORC), GAGING STATION (USGS), AND BM K 65 1933

SR1081'WILL SEE FROM A 4-FOOT STAND.

 

Maybe these limited sight lines were backed up with sun shots. None of the above made reference to the also found in 2009 K 65 RM 2, which at that time was non-published:

 

SR0220'DATE MONUMENTED SHOULD BE 1933. THE 1948 STATION RECOVERY TEXT IS

SR0220'CORRECT EXCEPT THAT THE STATION IS IN BLAINE COUNTY. ALSO FOUND WERE

SR0220'RM 1 1948(SET IN ROCK ABOUT 15 FEET NORTH) AND RM 2 1948 (SET IN THE

SR0220'TOP OF A CONCRETE POST ABOUT 11 FEET SOUTH SOUTHEAST-THE NOT PUBLISHED

SR0220'SR1082). REFERENCE OBJECT SR1080 GAGING STATION WAS NOT FOUND - SEE

SR0220'RECOVERY.

 

Last years flash floods deposited an estimated two to four inches of silt over K 65 RM 2 and it was not seen on this visit.

 

 

Note: About a mile downstream is one of the few MORC bench marks in Montana that has a PID.

 

MORC BM 48-2

 

 

Too bad the cap is missing. This is what one looks like - first seen in 2009, still there last Saturday.

 

NONPID MORC BM 31-1 RIVER RIGHT RIVER MILE 80.9, NEAR TOE OF FIRST BLUFF

 

kayakbird