File:California Nevada Oregon Tripoint Monument Von Schmidt 1872 NGS MV0393 3.jpg

Summary[edit]

Camera location	41° 59′ 41.76″ N, 119° 59′ 58.26″ W	View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap	41.994932; -119.999518

This monument was set in 1872 by the Von Schmidt Survey, and it became the prime corner mark between the states of California, Nevada, and Oregon. The monument is a crudely chiseled inscription stone in a cairn rock mound, supporting a wood engraved post, called "The Boundary Post".

According to the US Supreme Court's 1980 decision in the case of California v. Nevada: " That the location of the boundary between the States of California and Nevada is as hereafter specified: "Beginning at the Initial Point on the California-Nevada boundary as established under authority of the Act of June 10, 1872, 17 Stat. 358, by Allexey W. Von Schmidt in 1872 as an eight (8) inch square wood post set in a large mound of stone at the intersection to the 42nd parallel of north latitude along the southern boundary of the State of Oregon and the 120th degree of longitude west from Greenwich, each as reported by him..."

Background: In 1872, Allexy Von Schmidt and his survey party arrived on horseback with pack animals and camped here in this remote wilderness. They set up tents and an "astronomic observatory" as it was called then, basically, a theodolite, plumb bob, stadia, telescope, clock, reference book, charts, and paper notes. The sun and stars were sighted and timed. The technology of the day consisted of pencil calculations, mechanical optics, and skill; these alone determined the accuracy of latitude and longitude. A difference of one second in clock timing compared to the observatory in Greenwich England, would make the location error worse than 1700 feet. Amazingly, since there was no telegraph at this location to get precise coordinated time, this monument is only about 1800 feet south and about 130 feet east of the perfect "42 degrees North by 120 degrees West" goal.

The NGS Data Sheet on this survey monument:

National Geodetic Survey,   Retrieval Date = SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
MV0393 ***********************************************************************
MV0393  DESIGNATION -  BOUNDARY POST CA NV OR
MV0393  PID         -  MV0393
MV0393  STATE/COUNTY-  NV/WASHOE
MV0393  COUNTRY     -  US
MV0393  USGS QUAD   -  BARREL SPRINGS (1966)
MV0393
MV0393                         *CURRENT SURVEY CONTROL
MV0393  ______________________________________________________________________
MV0393* NAD 83(1994) POSITION- 41 59 41.73837(N) 119 59 58.25658(W)   NO CHECK  
MV0393* NAVD 88 ORTHO HEIGHT -  1611.    (meters)     5285.    (feet) SCALED    
MV0393  ______________________________________________________________________
MV0393  GEOID HEIGHT    -        -20.76  (meters)                     GEOID12A
MV0393  LAPLACE CORR    -         -0.56  (seconds)                    DEFLEC12A
MV0393  HORZ ORDER      -  THIRD
MV0393
MV0393.The horizontal coordinates were established by classical geodetic methods
MV0393.and adjusted by the National Geodetic Survey in June 1998.
MV0393.
MV0393.No horizontal observational check was made to the station.
MV0393.
MV0393.The orthometric height was scaled from a topographic map.
MV0393
MV0393.Photographs are available for this station.
MV0393
MV0393.The Laplace correction was computed from DEFLEC12A derived deflections.
MV0393
MV0393. The following values were computed from the NAD 83(1994) position.
MV0393
MV0393;                    North         East     Units Scale Factor Converg.
MV0393;SPC CA 1     -   797,452.039 2,165,756.979   MT  1.00009997   +1 18 29.1
MV0393;SPC CA 1     - 2,616,307.23  7,105,487.69   sFT  1.00009997   +1 18 29.1
MV0393;SPC NV W     - 4,805,104.961   682,669.352   MT  1.00006934   -0 56 51.5
MV0393;SPC NV W     -15,764,748.53  2,239,724.37   sFT  1.00006934   -0 56 51.5
MV0393;SPC OR S     -    36,589.872 1,541,472.794   MT  1.00010234   +0 20 32.7
MV0393;SPC OR S     -   120,045.51  5,057,325.44   iFT  1.00010234   +0 20 32.7
MV0393;UTM  11      - 4,653,566.190   251,555.443   MT  1.00035959   -2 00 28.4
MV0393;UTM  10      - 4,653,569.003   748,524.790   MT  1.00036008   +2 00 30.8
MV0393
MV0393!             -  Elev Factor  x  Scale Factor =   Combined Factor
MV0393!SPC CA 1     -   0.99975062  x   1.00009997  =   0.99985056
MV0393!SPC NV W     -   0.99975062  x   1.00006934  =   0.99981994
MV0393!SPC OR S     -   0.99975062  x   1.00010234  =   0.99985293
MV0393!UTM  11      -   0.99975062  x   1.00035959  =   1.00011012
MV0393!UTM  10      -   0.99975062  x   1.00036008  =   1.00011061
MV0393
MV0393                          SUPERSEDED SURVEY CONTROL
MV0393
MV0393  NAD 83(1991)-  41 59 41.73837(N)    119 59 58.25659(W) AD(       ) 3
MV0393  NAD 83(1986)-  41 59 41.73984(N)    119 59 58.25578(W) AD(       ) 3
MV0393  NAD 27      -  41 59 42.13600(N)    119 59 54.44400(W) AD(       ) 3
MV0393
MV0393.Superseded values are not recommended for survey control.
MV0393
MV0393.NGS no longer adjusts projects to the NAD 27 or NGVD 29 datums.
MV0393.See file dsdata.txt to determine how the superseded data were derived.
MV0393
MV0393_U.S. NATIONAL GRID SPATIAL ADDRESS: 11TKG5155553566(NAD 83)
MV0393
MV0393_MARKER: Z = SEE DESCRIPTION
MV0393_SETTING: 0 = UNSPECIFIED SETTING
MV0393_SATELLITE: THE SITE LOCATION WAS REPORTED AS SUITABLE FOR
MV0393+SATELLITE: SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS - August 15, 2013
MV0393
MV0393  HISTORY     - Date     Condition        Report By
MV0393  HISTORY     - UNK      MONUMENTED       CGS
MV0393  HISTORY     - 1950     GOOD             CGS
MV0393  HISTORY     - 20130815 GOOD             INDIV
MV0393
MV0393                          STATION DESCRIPTION
MV0393
MV0393'DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1950 (EBL)
MV0393'STATION IS LOCATED ABOUT 17 MILES EAST OF NEW PINE CREEK IN THE
MV0393'EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF CALIFORNIA.
MV0393'
MV0393'THE BOUNDARY POST IS AN 8 BY 8 INCH TIMBER THAT PROJECTS 10 FEET
MV0393'ABOVE THE GROUND AND IS SUPPORTED BY ROCKS AROUND THE BASE OF THE
MV0393'TIMBER.
MV0393'
MV0393'TO REACH FROM DYKES STORE AND POST OFFICE IN ADEL, GO SOUTH ON THE
MV0393'FT. BIDWELL ROAD FOR 15.8 MILES TO A CROSSROAD AT THE BOTTOM OF A
MV0393'STEEP GRADE, JUST BEFORE COMING TO A WOOD BRIDGE.  TURN LEFT ON THE
MV0393'DIM ROAD AND GO 1.1 MILES TO THE BOTTOM OF A CANYON AND THE END OF
MV0393'TRUCK TRAVEL.  FROM HERE, PACK SOUTH ACROSS CREEK AND UP THE CANYON
MV0393'WALL TOWARD A SHALLOW DRAW WHICH IS VISIBLE FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE
MV0393'CANYON.  CONTINUE TOWARES THE HIGHEST PART OF THE RIDGE AND THE
MV0393'AZIMUTH MARK.  FROM HERE THE STATION IS ABOUT 400 PACES TO THE LEFT,
MV0393'EAST.  ABOUT A 30 MINUTE PACK.
MV0393
MV0393                          STATION RECOVERY (2013)
MV0393
MV0393'RECOVERY NOTE BY INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS 2013 (KL)
MV0393'THE 8 INCH SQUARE POST AND ROCK MOUND FOUND AS DESCRIBED, POST IS
MV0393'LEANING NORTHERLY ABOUT 10 DEGREES, A LONG WOOD SAPLING POLE HAS BEEN
MV0393'BALING WIRED TO THE POST.
MV0393'  AN INSCRIBED STONE HAS BEEN CEMENTED IN THE SOUTH FACE OF THE ROCK
MV0393'MOUND, SAYING '1872 A.W. VON SCHMIDT LON. 120 LAT. 42'.  THIS
MV0393'INSCRIPTION WAS NOT DESCRIBED IN THE 1950 USCGS NOTE AND IS PROBABLY
MV0393'NOT ORIGINAL.
MV0393'  A BEARING TREE BLAZE IS IN AN OLD JUNIPER WESTERLY OF THE ROCK
MV0393'MOUND, A YELLOW BEARING TREE TAG STATES IN PART 'N68E 53.2' LS 4333 21
MV0393'JULY 1984'.  A BARBED WIRE FENCE HAS BEEN CONSTRUCTED ON THE APPROX.
MV0393'NEVADA-CALIFORNIA NORTH-SOUTH LINE JUST WESTERLY OF THE ROCK MOUND.
MV0393' 
MV0393'USE NEW TO-REACH DESCRIPTION FOR MV0392.
MV0393' 
MV0393'KRISS LARSON CA PLS 6179

End of description.

Licensing[edit]

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