Resume:

Milton E. Denny,PLS 3001,Inc. the spatial data company P O Box 2242 Tuscaloosa,Alabama 35403 205t 507 0552 [email protected]

Milton E. Denny is a registered surveyor in six states, and a veteran of surveying,mapping and GIS. His specialinterest has always been in project development and managementof firms. He is a past president of the Alabama Sociefy of ProfessionalLand Surveyors,a Fellow in the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping and served for many years on the Board of Direction. Mr. Denny is the author of many manualsdealing with surveying, mapping and GIS. He is a nationally known speakerand lecturer "The on thesesubjects and writes a column called BusinessSide" for a trade magazine.He was instrumental in the starting of a new member organrzation in the American Congresson Surveyingand Mapping called the Geographic and Land Information Society.He servedas the first president.

Mr. Denny has been providing training for surveyors and engineers throughout the United Statessince 1979. The seminarsinclude training in "Construction Surveying",Management and Marketing of the Surveyingand EngineeringFirm","Land Boundariesand Legal DescriptionWriting", and "Modern Survey Technology".He is consideredan expertin the field of new technologyas it appliesto surveying.Milton is also a sfudentof the history of surveying and the only manufacturerof antiquereproduction survey chain equipment. He is a leading authority on the survey chain as used in surveying for over three hundred years. He also does a first person presentationof the colonial surveyorAndrew Ellicott.

Milton is Vice Presidentfor project developmentwith the finn 3001, Inc. This firm is a major provider of PhotogralnmetricMapping and Geographic Information Systems. The firm has many offices throughout the United Statesproviding theseservices. Mr. Denny is currently writing a book on the "surveying history of surveying measurementcall The Land: Survey MeasurementDevices 1620 to 1920." History of the Rectangular Land Svstem GLO Including Alabama & Mississippi

Milton Denny, PLS P OBox2242 Tuscaloosa,Alabama 35403 [email protected] 1"t<;.262. Detcrrrrirrirrg llrr-: I.t'trilllr of ;t lioo,l.

Determining the Length of the Rood, Rod, Perch or Pole 16 r/zFeet

A. The King of England gatheredtogether 16 men of averagesize after church on Sundaymorning, lined them up left foot to left foot to determinethe length of the rood. B. The rood being 16 % feet becamethe basisfor the English perch and later the pole or rod as usedin the rectangularland system. C. The measurementof 16 lz feet,was one fourth of a English Gunter chain. The chain was one eightiethof an Englishmile which contained5,280 feet. D. The systemin use in England.rp until this time, used wooden poles of different length dependentupon the value of the land. Rootsof Surveying A. Magna Carta (original in Latin) June 15, 1215 B. Lays the groundwork of land ownership C. Leads to the English Estate Survey D. Edmond Gunter English mathematician E. Developsthe first practical survey chain F. 100links, 7.92inches G. 25 links per pole or perch, 16.5 feet H. 66 feet in chain,80 chainsin English mile I. English mile establishedas 5280 feet

A. I consider the Magna Carta as the start of our modern land system. B. Allowing private land ownershipset in motion our modern land system. C. The first private surveyswere English Estatesurveys, these original documentsare very elaboratedocuments showing not only the boundaries,but also tenantfarmers, cattle and crops. D. The 4 pole Gunter chain contained25 links per pole, or 7.92 inchesper link. At eachten links was a tally that was attachedto the chain to allow the surveyorto know his location on the chain when measuringpartial chain distances. E. The original surveyorsof the rectangularland systemdeveloped systemsto keep track of the eighty chainsin a mile. The device was known as a tally counter and was attachedto the survey compass. l it{M4t-. ar^n--*-, _=***,:-JE=,*W,fce.yieugr. f .:' ,{ \ l"C/rorir-ar, \!ar,-aA1i (hrzrrz (4 roas or 66{eet zonq). English Estate Surveyor

A. The estatesurveyor played an important role in early Englishlife. B. The 16 Y,foot pole was madeout of wood and carried to thejob siteby the surveyor'shelper. C. The surveyorpictured, most likely, was an officer of the King. He was relied upon to not only surveythe land, but to set the value of the estatefor tax purposes. D. Note the surveyorsin the backgroundusing a Gunter's chain.Not only was the chain usedby laying it on the ground, it was stretchedusing poles. E. The systemof measuringalong the surfacecontributed to inaccuraciesof original surveys.

4 Surveyors with 2-pole 33 foot suryey chain State of Georgia About 1780

A. Colonial surveyorsin Georgia.This image was copied off an original plat of surveyfrom 1780. B. Thesesurveyors are using a two pole chain. A two pole chain was more popular than a four pole chain, because they could suspendthe chain betweenthen and not have it dragging on the ground. C. The men chaining are moving forward very rapidly, the chainingcrew could cover four to six miles in a day. In someconditions maybe as much as eight miles. D. They are carrying metal pins that they throw into the ground to mark the length of the chain. The rear chainmanremoves the pins as they move forward. They then count the pins to keep track of the distance. Colonial Surveying

Metes and Bounds Survey To Nearest Degree and to Nearest Pole Plain Compass Two Pole Chain Only Survey the Best Land Many Surveyors Part Time Occupation

A. Thecolonial system of surveyingwas closely related to the Englishsystem used by the estatesurveyors. The Englishsystem was called Butts and Bounds. This was to becomethe colonialsystem called Metes and Bounds. B. The first surveyswere performed using very basic equipment,consisting of a plain compassand survey chain. C. Many colonialsurveyors learned the tradefrom other surveyorsor by working asan apprenticeto a surveyor. D. In manycases the work wasnot full time work, many surveyorsworked as instrument makers, in the legal profession,orstore keepers during the winter months. A. City surveyingplayed an important role in the developmentof the colonial cities. Many early American cities were laid out in lots and blocks, with a plat of the city, drawn by the surveyor and kept on file in city hall. This conceptis different than many English cities, in most casesthey do not have a completeplan or map of survey. B. A good exampleof the methodused in the colonies, is the 1698 map of the City of Philadelphiaby the Surveyor Thomas Homes. Once held this map in my hand. William Pennincluded with the plat, rules of developmentfor the City of Philadelphia, included requirementsto plant treesand constructand maintain the roads. C. Many colonial cities were surveyedunder a survey measurementstandard different than our curent standardas requiredby our currentNational GeodeticSurvey. D. Theseolder standardsmake surveyingin colonial cities very difficult. requiri earsofexoeri accessto the orisinal surveyrecords. Only certaintrained surveyorsare allowed to survey in Philadelphia. ColonialSurveying

B. Land Lots and Land Grants Grants from the King Colonial Land Lots Land Patent C. Instrument Makers Rittenhouse Brothers Andrew Ellicott Goldsmith Chandlee

A. Influential peoplereceived land grantsfrom the king. Many of thesegrants overlapped each other and endedup in the courtsof Englandto determineownership. B.Many grants were so vague that only a deterrnination of their location by the courtswould allow a surveyorto map the land. C. The land patent was an American original, whereby the governmentwould guaranteethe title and location of the land. D. Working with brasswas a skill developedafter the revolutionary war in the colonies.This skill allowed for the developmentof surveyinginstruments specially suited for surveyingthe undevelopedland in America. E. Someof the features,included the ability to adjust for declinationfrom magneticNorth, and a tally counterto keep track of distancemeasured. These features were unique to American made compasses. English Compass used in the Colonies

A. Before the revolutionarywar all brasscompasses were brought to the coloniesfrom England,France or lreland. Today theseare refeffed to asplain compasses,because they lackedthe featuresnecessary to survey in the colonies. B. Many of thesecompasses lack any designationas to the maker or date of manufacturer,to instrumentcollectors thesecompasses have a very limited value, comparedto elaboratelyinscribed compasses made in America after the revolutionarywar. C. English compassesdesigned for estatesurveys would only readto about one half of one degree,this accuracy was unacceptablefor surveyingin the colonies. ThomosJelferson

Father of the Rectangular Land System

A. ThomasJeffbrson was the visionary neededfor the expansionof the newly formed United Statesof America. B. After the revolutionarywar most coloniesclaimed land to the MississippiRiver. C. One of the first problemsfacing Jefferson,was to get the original coloniesto give up their claim to the westerlylands. D. Jeffersonsaw the westerly land as the key to the future. Theselands could benefit the country in two ways, the first, as a place to add populationto the coloniesby providing a place for immigrants coming into the country. The secondpart was even more important, that is a tax or income sourceto pay off war debt.

t0 General Land Office (GLO)

A. Benefits of Rectangular System 1. Economy

2. Simplicity of Description 3. Deeding by Patent 4. Ready to Sell

B. Establishedby Committee May 7,1784 1. Thomas Jefferson, Hugh Williamson, David Howell, Eldridge Gerryn Jacob Reas

2. Known as the Rectangular System

A. The rectangularland systemwas a new experiment.This system had never beenproposed since private land ownershipwas developedin Englishcolonies. B. The grand idea was to survey and plat the land into square townshipscontaining 36 sections,each section would contain 640 acresand would be put on saleat a convenientgovernment land office. C. The original cost would be two dollars per acre,and the fee could be paid in four equalpayments over two years.The original requiredminimum purchasewas 640 acres.This would later be chansed. D. The owner would receivean original governmentpatent. This patentwould protect the owner from any claims of ownership from other persons. E. The systemwas establishedby a specialcommittee including Jeffersonon May 7. 1784.

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Jeffersonian Units of Land Subdivision

A. Jeffersonhad originally proposedhaving townshipsof 100sections. B. He alsoproposed using the nauticalmile of 6,086.4 feet. He was talked out of theseideas by other committeemembers, because the English mile of 5,280 feet enjoyedsuch widespread use in Colonial America. C. The number of sectionsin a township was first reduced to 49 andthem 36,to be ableto get the townships surveyedand on the market for salequickly. D. This experimentin the saleof land was successful beyondthe wildest dreamsof the comrnitteemembers.

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Ceded Lands by the Original Colonial States

A. The statesof Pennsylvania,Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware,Rhode Island, Maryland and New Jersey were the colonial statesthat did not have westernlands. B. The statesof Massachusetts,Connecticut and Virginia cededthe landsthat now make up the mid-west, consistingof Illinois, Indiana,Michigan, Wisconsin, most of Kentucky and part of Ohio. C. Georgiagave up the landswest of the presentboundary of stateto the MississippiRiver. D. North and South Carolina gave up their westernlands inl787, betweentheir presentboundaries and the MississippiRiver. E. The stagewas set in 1802for the westerlysale of lands, when Georgiawas the last stateto cedetheir lands.

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Present Method of Numbering Sections

A. In this early diagram of a township, it was proposedto only set the cornersof eachfour sections.This layout was quickly changedto survey every sectioncorner. B. The numberingof sectionshas always startedat the northeast comer of the township, thencerun west and eastuntil you reach the southeastcorner of the township,being section36. C. In surveying the land, the surveyors first ran the lines of the townships.Then eachtownship was contractedfor two dollars per-mile to a deputy surveyorto place all the sectioncorners. D. Many different methods were used to mark the corners.The most common in wooded lands,was to scribemarks into the four closesttrees, recording the distanceand direction.In prairie lands a quart of charcoalwas placedin a hole with a cedarpole and mound of dirt placedaround the post.

t4 A. Before the rectangularland systembecame operational in 1798,the statesof Tennessee,Kentucky and Vermont were addedunder the old metesand bounds survey system. B. The stateof Kentucky was developedfrom the western landsof Virginia. C. The stateof Tennesseewas the westem landsof North and South Carolina. D. The stateof Vermont was a territory before it becamea state.

15 RESTORAITON Of IOST OR OStlltRArto coeNl{s

FICUR€ 15, NTANUAL. 5tand!rd p:"ttels rnd townrhip bounda'ier:.e Eiven p'ecedence ove. eubdivie'onrl r,nct. Township Layout as Used in the GLO

A. The rectangularland systemwas developedbased on a network of standard parallels,sometime called baselines,and principal meridians. B. Theselines were chosenat random,dependent on where the governmentwanted to divide and sell land. C. In the mid-westthe first principalmeridian was in Ohio, the secondin Indianaand the third in lllinois. D. Principal meridiansin the southhave namessuch as the Huntsville and St. Stephensin Alabama. E. The fifth principal is in Iowa. Principal meridians continuewest to California that hasthe two meridians with names. F. The stateof Texas is not part of the rectangularland

t6 A. While Ohio is consideredas being part of the rectangularland system,most of the statewas surveyed by other systemsbefore 1798.Some of this was the metesand bounds surveys. B. Many of the different areasin Ohio were land grants for soldiersof the revolutionary war. C. Theseareas have names such as the Virginia Military Reserve,Connecticut Western Reserve, Symmes Purchaseand also French Grants. D. The sevenranges was the first areasurveyed under the rectangularsystem. Most of the evidenceof these original surveyswere a victim of strip rnining for coal.

l7 NewStates 1812 -19

First Statesto be Surveyed Completely by the GLO Method

A. The first statesto be surveyedby only the rectangular land systemmethod are Indiana and Alabama. B. The next three stateswere Illinois, Mississippi and Louisiana. By this time the systemwas perfected,this was documentedby the first set of completeinstructions issued by the Surveyor Generalcalled "Tiffin Instructionsof I8I5". C. Louisiana was a particularly difficult stateto surveybecause of the existenceof many Spanishand Frenchgrants dating back to the early sixteenhundreds. D. The instructions to the deputy surveyorswas to first survey and documentthese grants. This work sloweddown the completion of the surveysof the townshipsand cost some deputysurveyors theirjobs. E. In most casessurvey work was startedwhile the areawas still a territory, long before becominga state.

18 A. Jefferson was only trying to buy Louisiana from the French when offered the whole Louisiana Purchase.He went ahead over the limit of his authorizationfrom congress.The price paid endedup to be only about two-centsper-acre. B. The idea behind the Lewis and Clark trip was an effort to determinethe extent and value of the Louisiana purchase.The mission also had a military element,as to how we as a nation were going to protect and control this vast wildemess. c. Jeffersonwas so focusedon the successof the trip he sent Meriwether Lewis to the colonial surveyorAndrew Ellicott, to receivetraining in surveyingand help in selectingthe proper equipment. D. one of the most important goals of the trip was to document latitude and longitude at important placesalong the route.

t9 NewStates i836.48

Additional StatesIncluding Texas

A. Additional statescontinued to be added,in most cases,survey work was being performed prior to allowing the stateinto the union. B. In statessuch as Michigan and Wisconsinthe deputysurveyors encounteredvery difficult conditionsfor laying out the townshipsand sections. C. The existenceof many lakes and rivers resultedin the field partieshaving to wade through water most of the day. This was in weatherthat borderlinedon freezingtemperatures. D. Many Indians were used to work on the survey parfy. One report tells aboutthe Indiansrolling up togetherat night in a buffalo rug to stay warm. Theseharsh conditions resulted in a greattumover of workers. Many men would sneakout of camp at night to neverreturn.

20 NewStates 1858.6I

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Last States Added Before the War Between the States

A. As the far west was starting to be developed, survey work was being performed on both sides of the country, leaving a great un-surveyedarea in the middle. B. By this time the price to buy land had been reducedto one dollar and twenty-five centsper acre.The money had to be paid in full before the patentwas issued. C. Someareas were surveyedand openedup for settlementfree, if the personwould establisheda farm and occupy the land for a designatedperiod of time. D. All throughout this period, there was great fraud in the system. Appointmentsto key jobs were very political. These appointmentsallowed certain governmenternployees to deed land, wrongly classifiedas undesirable,to friends and associates.

2l A. The equipmentof an early surveyorwas simple, consisted mainly of a compass,a surveychain of the appropriate length for the time period, and other field gear. B. Most of the surveyorshad to borrow money to financetheir work. They would take their contractto a bank as collateral,as the money was guaranteedif the work was completedproperly. C. Becauseof the low rate of two dollars per mile, many surveyors completedsurveying a number of townships during a summer.Only to find out that after paying the field crews,the storethat sold them provisionsand the bank, there was little money left for a yearsworth of work. D. Many of the smarter surveyorsonly did a contract or two, and went into the land or real estatebusiness in the area where they worked. E. High turn over rates for surveyorswas a great concernto the

by paying a rate greaterthan two-dollarsper mile. 22 ) i l_l *orr**o I xlf, [ilco luinonY I J trinnrt

Alignment of the States and Adding West Virginia

A. During the war Between the states, the work in the west of laying out the land continued.The work on the original system was alreadycompleted in the SouthernStates where most of the battles were fought. B. The only large changeduring the civil war, in land East of the Mississippi River, was the breakingof virginia into two states. Geographicallythe people in west virginia enjoyed closerties to the ohio River valley culture and voted to stay with the union. c. Many civil war soldierswanting to continue there outdoor lifestyle, went west after the war to fight Indians or work on survey parties. They brought along their military gear such as canteensand uniforms. Theseuniforms and equipmentare reflectedin picturestaken of westem survey crews after the war. D. The solar compasswas requiredto be usedby a deputy survevorto I yglhg accuracy of the work after the war.

aa L3 NewStates 1864.90

Adding of Statesin the Last Quarter of the 19thCenturv

A. The Westernstates were surveyedin the latter part of the nineteenthcentury. B. The railroadswere given large tracts of land by the governmentto encourageland development.The land not neededfor railroad purposeswas surveyedand given or sold to settlers. c. The railroadsurveyors were consideredto be the first civil engineers.They designedbridges and tunnels necessaryfor the building of the railroad. D. The quality of surveyingperformed by the railroad surveyorsenjoyed a much higher order of accuracythan that performedby the GeneralLand Office.

24 A. The surveyor William Burk noticed when working in Michigan, magnetic attractionwas affecting the needle ofhis compass. B. Concernedabout the accuracyof the surveys,he developeda solarcompass that was dependenton the locationof the sunto determinedirection. He also inventedthe typewriter to help complete government paperwork. C. After the civil war the solarcompass was requiredon GeneralLand Office work.

25 A. The finished land systemis a very complex systemwith each statehaving there own rules and regulations. B. The stateshaving public landshave offices of the Bureauof Land Managementto managethese lands. The statesthat do not have public landshave the original surveyrecords deposited with the appropriatestate agency. C. Land Surveyorsare registeredon a stateby statebasis. Most statesrequire a four-year degreein surveying and examination for registration.Most statesalso require continuing education. D. Modern technologyis allowing the surveyorto work with greateraccuracy. These tools also presentnew problems.Most deedswill not agreewith moderntechnology such as GPS.The problem most surveyorsface is evaluatingthe evidenceand placing the deedon the ground in the proper place.

26 A.In 1796the colonial SurveyorAndrew Ellicott was sent to run the boundary line betweenSpain and the United States.It was agreedthat this line would be at 3l degreesof latitude. B. The line was run betweenthe yearsof 1798and l80l from the MississippiRiver to the Atlantic Ocean.This line becamepart of the southernboundary of Alabama andMississippi. C. Sincethe stateof Georgiahad a surveyedboundary with Spain,it was agreedto hold this line, eventhrough it lay below 31 degreesof latitude. D. The journal written by Andrew Ellicott abouthis trip was the catalystthat encouragedThomas Jeffersonto equip and sendLewis and Clark on their mission.

27 A. The stoneknown as the Ellicott Stone,on 3 1 degreesof latitude, becamethe startingpoint for the Alabama surveys. B. This point becameknown as the St. StephensMeridian. In Alabama,all surveysof townshipsin the lower one-half of the state,are designatedas being North or South of the Ellicott Stone. C. This stoneand earthenmounds are the only evidenceleft of the original Ellicott survey. D. Andrew Ellicott camefrom a large family of colonial surveyors. Someof the projectsthat family memberswere involved in surveyingare, the laying out of WashingtonD. C., also known as the FederalCity, Ellicott finished the Mason-Dixon line, the westernboundary of Pennsylvania,and surveyedmost of the stateof New York.

28 GLO Surveyor in the Field

A. This drawing from the early nineteenth century depicts a deputy surveyoralong the Ohio River. Note, the leather cloths and moccasins.It was common for the surveyorsto trade items, such as axesand mirrors to the Indians for clothes. B. A challengefacing early surveyorswas the recording of the information gatheredin the field. Regulationsrequired that field notesbe kept in ink. The surveyorhad powder that he would mix with water to make ink. and feathersthat he would cut into writing pens. C. Most surveyorswould spendlong hours working on their notes at night, in a ten with an oil lamp. D. Keeping the mosquitoesatbay, while producing a well written set of noteswas a constantchallenge to all surveyors. E. Many old setsof field notesstill containthe remainsof mosquitoeson the pages.

29 2 Pole Survey Chain as used on Original Surveys in Alabama

A. A good exampleof an original surveychain is a prized item. Very few chains survivedthe hard life of being a surveychain. Chains,that I have checked,can be as much as sevenor eight incheslong from wear betweenthe parts. B. The most prolific chain maker was an English companyby the nameof Chesterrnan.Many of the chainsused in the original surveyswere manufacturedin Englandby Chesterrnan. C. The probateof the will of a deputy surveyor namedThomas Freemanfrom WashingtonCounty, Mississippi showedhim to be in possessionof sevennew chainsand nine usedchains when he died. D. A chain with wire handleswas manufacturedbefore 1800, where a chain with brasshandles was most likely made after 1800.All of Alabamawas laid out with a two-pole chainbeing thirty-three feet long.

30 tsrc'min"n' Instructions to Isaac Briggs from . I Albert Gallatin to establish the // Ilx /i St. Stephensmeridian

"From such one of the mile monuments on the southern boundary ofthe U.S. as you think proper you will be pleasedto run and survey a north line of meridian, and all the Townships shall be designated by ranges East and West from that meridian, the numbers ofeach range progressing from the said meridian eastwardlv and westwardly, and the number of each township in each range progressing //7/-€ :"",*** il:filili',ij:",Tffi:Juthern

nning of the Surweyof South Alabama by Seth Pease1806

A. The surveyor SethPease started the surveysin South Alabama at the Ellicott Stoneand ran true North to establishthe St. StephensMeridian. B. In reviewing the original surveynotes, it becameapparent that this is not one continuousline. The Mobile River was an obstacle,so the surveyorsran a township West, then North for six townships,then East for one township, then continuedNorth. C. This line is one of only a few GLO surveysrecorded in perches, insteadof chains.There are 16 Yzfeet in a perch and320 perchesin a mile, insteadof 80 chains,or a ratio of 411. D. The surveyorin their field notesrecorded other information that has becomevery historically significant1'any existing roads and villages, quality of the land, swampsand rivers, mineral depositsand the types and size of trees.

31 A. The original point for the surveys,for North Alabama, had been lost becauseof road construction.It was reset in 1977by a group of surveyorsbelonging to the AlabamaSociety of ProfessionalSurveyors. B. This point is on the Southboundary of the Stateof Tennessee.The Huntsville Meridian runs Southfrom this line through the City of Huntsville. C. John Coffee was a deputy surveyorand land speculator in Huntsville. He also ran the land office. When someof his very questionabledeals came to light, the land office mysteriouslyburned down. If John Coffee would not havedied, he surelywould have spentsome time in incarceration. D. Coffee Countv is namedafter him.

1a JZ o

Land Districts and Land Offices in 1812. Property being in Alatrama from St. Stevensand Huntsville Land Offices

A. Louisiana,Mississippi and Alabama were all still territories, when the GLO survey work began. B. Mississippi and Alabama were part of what was known as the Mississippi Territory. Two land offices were establishedfor the saleof this land. One in what is now Washington County, Mississippi, the other in St. Stephens,Alabama. C. Many of theseland offices only stayedopen for a short period of time. Somewere opened,closed, then openedagain at alater date. D. Note the small amount of land being sold in the northem part of Alabama along the TennesseeState line. This was prime land along the north side of the TennesseeRiver. This land attracted investors from many easternstates, and some other countries.

a1 JJ cation of Land Offices and Survev Districts in 1819

A. The State of Alabama had many land offices throughout the state.The last one openedwas in Mobile in 1867. Montgomery was the last office to closein 1927. B. The following is a list of Alabama GeneralLand Offices: Cahaba1 B 19- 1 856 Montsomew 1832- 1861.1866-1927 Centre1856-1861 Nashville,TN 1807-l8lI Demopolis1833-1861 Sparta1820-1854 Elba1854-1861 St.Stephens 1803-181I Greenville1856- I 860 Tuscaloosa1820- l86l Huntsville18I I-1861 ,1867-1905 Lebanon 1842-1856 Mardisville1832-1842 Milledgeville,GA I 815-181 8

34 Location of Land Offices and Land Districts in 1834

A. By 1834 surveywork was going on throughout the Stateof Alabama. Mississippi was also being worked on and land was being sold throughoutthe statefrom the following land offices. B. The MississippiLand Offices: Augusta1819-1859 Paulding1860-1861 Chocchuma1833-1840 Pontotoc1836-1861 Columbus1833-1861 Washington1807-1861 Grenada1840-1860 JacksonI 819-1827,1836-1861,1 866-1925 Mount Salus1822-1836 C. The boundarybetween the lower part of Mississippi and Alabama has been contestedin court many times. While the boundarylooks straighton most maps,it is a court boundarythat containsmany compromises.

35 Surveying someareas proved very difficult as recorded in the following survey notes:

Set post No. 1,00.This is through a horrible, marshy, briery, bushy swamp,almost impassable.

Set post No. 99. This mile is a great deal worse in every respect than the former land, unfit for everything-man, beast, fish, or fowl.

Set post No. 98. First half similar to the last,thence partly open though very briery. The post standsin a very open, flat, pine land. Thus far land is apparently of no value and so thick with bushes and briars that it is totally impassableexcept to surveyors.

Would you have surveyedthis for two-dollars per-mile?

36 The End Thank You

Milton Denny P O Box2242 Tuscaloosa,AL 35403 205t5534448 [email protected]

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