Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-12-02
WASHINGTON'S SURVEY
FOUND TO BE CORRECT
First President Work Approved by
Government Men Employed to
Check over County Line.
HIS SURVEY MARKS MADE
VERY HIGH IN TREES
This Is Explained by Fact That He
Rode on Horseback and Used an AK
With Very Long Handle.

Government surveyors, who have just
been checking up some of the lines
reputed to have been run by George
Washington in his days Of chain and
compass work, have found them good
About 1751, according to tradition,
Gearge Washington, then 10 years old,
ran out for Lord Thomas Fairfax the
line between what was then to be Aug
usta and Frederick counties, Virginia,
this being only part of great deal
of surveying which ne is said to have
engaged upon at that time. These two
counties were separated from what was
then Orange county, and the grant to
Lord Fairfax was supposed to extend
westward to the Pacific oceon. Subse.
quently these large tracts were further
subdivided, so that the Fairfax lin" +"
as it was generally known, runs now
between Rockingham and Shenandoah
counties, with the original Augusta and
Frederick counties to south and north
respectively.
in the organic act for the formation
Of the two counties, or "parishes" as
they were then called, it was required
that the line should be straight one
from the head spring Of Hedgman riv-
er, one of the sources Of the Rappahan.
mock, to the head spring Of the Potom-
ac.
Since it was required that the line
should be straight it was first neces-
sary to get the approximate course by
building large bonfires on the inter.
yening high points. Then starting from
the top of the Massanutten mountains,
the line was run straight away over in
teryening mountains and rivers toward
the northwest
The Fairfax Stone.
Away off across part of what is
now West Virginia there is large rock
known today as the Fairfax stone. 1t
is the monument which marks the
southwest corner of Garret county, Nd,
the southeast corner Of Preston county,
W. Va, and prominent points in the
boundaries in two other West Virginia
counties. A line from Orange court
house, coinciding with the Shenandoah
and Rockingham county line, passes
through this Fairfax stone, which gives
the name to nearby station, Fairfax,
on the Western Maryland railroad. 1t
has been assumed that, in running this
line high peak northwest Of Orange
court house was the starting point, and
that from here it was possible to see
a distant peak in the north mountain
range over the top of the intervening
Massanutten mountain.
Washington, Of course used a simple
comps,ss, and his line could not be ex-
pected to check absolutely with that
obtained by the government surveyors,
who have ,retraced his survey, using the
high power transits and all the refined
and accurate methods which modern in.
stmments allow. Nevertheless, the line
was run so carefully in the first place
that but little variation has been found
in IL. Even without instruments it is
possible to Distinguish the course of
the line with surprising distinctness.
From the top of Middle Mountain in
the Massanuttep range, the Shenandoah
Rockingham or Fairfax line can be read.
lily followed by means Of the boundary
fences dating from earliest days, and
by the blocks Of timber, alternately
cleared awey or left standing, which
come up from either county and stop
at the line, like squares in checker.
board, Then II one turns to tho south.
east tho same demarkations are plain
across the valley Of the south fork of