Found My First Benchmark!

[Pipanella]

I can't believe this. I didn't even know these existed until a couple of weeks ago, and didn't investigate them until over the weekend. Well, we've lived here for almost 27 years, and lo and behold, there is one that is just 3/10 of a mile north of us, and we've walked by it a gazillion times, and never knew it was there. My husband said he noticed the 'rock,' and wondered why the landowners never removed it, but never went over to look at it closely.

 

Until today, when I wanted to try to find this one. When I walked over to it, it's all but been destroyed, but there is a sliver of the disc left, enough of it to confirm that that is what it is.

 

You just never know what is in your own backyard!

 

[+xmashl]

Was there a designation visible on the disk? The benchmark that you are seeking MD1785, has/had two reference markers, which have an arrow that point to the direction of the actual station. Reference marker will have arrows on them, and the station itself most likely will have a triangle in the center of its disk. If it turns out you found the reference marker, take a careful look at the datasheet, which should tell you the direction and distance to the main station.

[Pipanella]

No, there wasn't much visible on the disc, other than 'AST &'. This is the partial disc that we found:

 

THE STATION IS 6 MILES S AND 1-1/2 MILES W OF PAULDING, 2-1/2 MILES S AND 1-1/2 MILES W OF THE LATTA RAILROAD STATION, 1/2 MILE W OF THE OLD ABANDONED ROEBUCK SCHOOLHOUSE, IN THE NW QUARTER OF SECTION 14, T. 1 N., R. 2 E., ON LAND OWNED BY GEORGE CRAMER. THE MARK IS SET IN THE NW CORNER OF AN UNDENCED CULTIVATED FIELD, 20 FEET E OF THE CENTER LINE OF THE SECTION-LINE ROAD, 50 FEET S OF A STOP SIGN AND 125 FEET S OF THE INTERSECTION OF THE TWO SECTIONLINE ROADS. THE SURFACE DISK IS STAMPED ROEBUCK 1932 AND IS ABOUT 12 INCHES BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND.

 

I'm not sure that Reference mark #1 can be found, as it would be located in the landowner's pond. LOL. Reference mark #2...maybe. We'll try to locate that.

Edited April 12, 2004 by Pipanella

[+PandyBat]

WTG Pip! I haven't done any of these yet but I hope too soon. I am still just getting my bearings looking for regular caches..lol

[+xmashl]

I'm not sure that Reference mark #1 can be found, as it would be located in the landowner's pond. LOL. Reference mark #2...maybe. We'll try to locate that.

You may also might try to locate the azimuth mark:

 

MD1785''THE AZIMUTH MARK IS 42 FEET S OF THE CENTER LINE OF AN E-W

MD1785''SECTION-LINE ROAD,

MD1785''14 FEET S OF A LARGE WOODEN CORNER POST, 1 FOOT

MD1785''W OF A N-S FENCELINE, AND ABOUT 0.1

MD1785''MILE E OF A LARGE RED BARN.

MD1785''THE MARK IS 6 INCHES ABOVE THE GROUND.

[Pipanella]

Well, I guarantee you that red barn no longer exists. There are two large white ones, no fences, and neither of the barns is close to the one that is mentioned. But I'll try to find it anyway!