Orphaned C&GS Triangulation Station?

[+DragonsWest]

Running back and forth between Death Valley and the Amargosa Valley over the last week I couldn't keep track of all the benchmarks I whizzed past, but now and then I'd pop out and take some readings and snap pics before buzzing along to the next desert backroad (and sand pit) awaiting my intrepid rabbit. So I spy the familiar blocky setting of a station off the side of CA-190, near GS0173 and park the car and begin the routine. Only finding a triangulation disc PYRAMID 1949, PYRAMID NO 2 1949 and some curious graffiti "JS 1949" before spotting GS0173 (M 672) across the road and figure as it's older it must have served as RM2.

 

Home again and I can't find PYRAMID anywhere. It seems serviceable and someone bothered to pound a witness post into the ground at some point, but that's about it.

 

Station N 36 18.191 W 116 29.923

Station setting

Reference mark 1 N 36 18.192 W 116 29.934

Reference mark 1 setting

Graffiti

 

Did C&GS set this up for GS0899 (PYRAMID PEAK) and then forget about it? PYRAMID PEAK is using GS0220 (F 672) as its azimuth mark and isn't terribly far up the road.

[DaveD]

You are right, this is an orphaned mark. Unfortunately from time to time C&GS was forced to suspend work on surveys for a variety of reasons (e.g. budget, changes in priorities etc.) and they were never completed. This didn't happen very often but it did leave behind marks they set but were never able to survey. This specific mark was later positioned as part of a triangulation project by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), unfortunately like so much of their work it was never submitted to C&GS/NGS for inclusion into the national reference system.

[+DragonsWest]

Thanks for the reply, Dave. Really was fantastic having several days to wander around looking for these things and being occasionally pleasantly surprised to find remains of old towers and such. Can't wait to go back again!