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Author: Mary Hanna Clodfelter

Abandoned Air Fields in Florida

The Geodetic Monument, 1875-1903

What is a “Gallbery bush”?

I saw this in the GLO notes, Vol 271 Page 684

Vol271p684.pdf

Live Oak Island Survey by W.H. Macy 1897

Bearing Tree

The Liquid Heart of Florida

The Liquid Heard of Florida: Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River in the 1970’s

river_int_chap_06.pdf

Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers

Township 27 S Range 34 East

Disston Companies Land Map

Backsight

Deepwater Horizon Drilling Rig

Have you ever surveyed an imaginary line?

PLSS, ties to a Cherry?

Court Cases of the Week

Big Snake

The Ellicott line and Ellicott stone

Big Gator

These were taken from under 70 East by Burger King.

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Thanks to Angela Jones, GISP, Okeechobee County Property Appraiser's Office

Surveyor hunts for old mounds marking Ala-Fla line

Live Oak Island

The following field notes are very interesting and detailed (unlike today's field notes). They describe the contract with the crew, a Polaris shot in 1897 and much more. Field notes are our umbilical cord. But they are getting worse every year. In survey review, you always ask for the field notes. Too bad it is a lost art.

Field Notes.pdf (22 mb)

T44 R35 Section 2, 11 & 15 Topo

Christmas Carol

Happy Thanksgiving

How do you make Pumpkin Pie? Pumpkin Pie.jpg

Florida Dipping Vats

Previously discussed was the State of Florida, Tick Fever, Cattle Dipping Vats. I checked this morning and found pictures I have taken over the past several years of found dipping vats. The first three are vats taken near Kenansville, Fl on the Mills Ranch. The last four are of a vat I found on Curry Island in Lake Okeechobee (see Map). (We have talked about Curry Island several time before.) Remember, these were utilized at a time before fences were common and the "Open Range" was used by all cattlemen.

Any rate, you will notice that the vat is constructed with one end a sheer drop (Cattle enter here) while the other has steps cast in the bottom for the cattle to climb out. The sheer drop was to ensure that when the cattle entered, they would go under and be covered completely by the dip. All that remains of these vats are the concrete drip apron and the pitcher pump well pipe.

The vat had a coral and a series of "Pinch Fencing" on the entry end of the vat. This is where the cowboys would drive the herd into the open end of the "Pinch Fences" that would slowly constrict them into a holding pen. Once there, they would close a gate behind them and force them into and through the vat, one at a time, until a small group was collected and dripped semi dry to reclaim any excess dip that would drain back into the vat. You will notice a concrete apron deck built adjacent to the exit end of the vat. That is where the cattle would stand to drip off excess dip. It was built to slope back to the vat for drainage. After the cattle drained the excess dip off of them, they were branded (if not previously branded), treated for wounds and other ailments (if they had the medicines) and then were released back into the open range to roam again until the next time they were gathered. Usually, after dipping the herd, the cowboys made camp and spend the night before moving onward the nest day to herd more cattle toward the next vat.

You should also notice the pipe seen at both vats. The pipe was the well that, with the aid of a pitcher pump, would be used to refill the vat and for any other campground need. The State furnished the Arsenic laden dip. Unfortunately, it is said (I don't know how true) that some cowboys drank from the well that was tainted with the arsenic.

Dipping Vat.jpg
Dip Vat 1.jpg
Dip Vat 2.jpg
Curry Isl Dip Vat.jpg
Cattle Vat at Lake O.jpg
Cattle Vat at Lake O-2.jpg
Cattle Vat at Lake O-3.jpg
Cattle Vat at Lake O-4.jpg

Deer Fence

125 Years of Topographic Mapping

Section Sheet

Section Sheet.pdf

Thanks to Mary Hanna Clodfelter of Mock Roos and Associates

You might be a Surveyor IF...

YOU MIGHT BE A SURVEYOR IF.doc

Thanks to Mary Hanna Clodfelter of Mock Roos and Associates

Song of the 3-Man Crew

SONG OF THE 3-MAN CREW.doc

thanks to Mary Hanna Clodfelter of Mock Roos and Associates

Mt. Rushmore

How cool is your job?  Check out this site and the methods that they are using to complete their work.  How would you go about surveying Mt. Rushmore?  What do you think of the kite photography?

http://archive.cyark.org/mt-rushmore-selected-to-be-first-international-project-in-scotland-10-blog

Thanks to Mary Hanna Clodfelter, Mock Roos & Associates, Inc.

Also check out
http://archive.cyark.org/
http://archive.cyark.org/surveying-technology
http://archive.cyark.org/community-knowledgebase
http://archive.cyark.org/project-world
http://archive.cyark.org/about

Aviation Photography

Aviation Photography.pps

Thanks to Mike Horan of SFWMD.

A Land Remembered

“A Land Remembered” by Patrick D. Smith published in the mid 80’s (I’d guess ’84 maybe).  It is really a thinly veiled  story of John MacArthur’s family.  It describes in detail the cattle drives to Tampa and the gold payments and how that gold turned into the South Florida empire of the MacArthur Estates.

Recommended by Mike Joiner, FL DOT

Traversing the Law: Ambiguity is the key.

ORB 1004 Page 284

Who do you think wrote a legal description that uses feet and inches in the bearing? ORB1004 p284.pdf