The Nespelem tribune. [volume] (Nespelem, Wash.) 1934-1936, 1935-08-07

for surveys. The last general sur
vey was made in 1884 and property
lines have been established on the
basis of that work.
When the reclamation engineers
started examining the old govern
ment survey notes for the valley
north of Marcus, it was found that
the Columbia river had been plac-
ed far to the west of where it
should be. If the old survey was
followed, a man with 40 acres along
the east side of the river, would
find himself moved over somewhere
in the hills on the west side. About
1900 acres had been surveyed into
that area that doesn't exist. It had
never been discovered because much
of the land in northern Stevens
county is state owned and no lines
were ever run to locate many Of the
sections.
Mr.. Berry is working out plan
by which he hopes to adjust the
situation without calling for a COM
plete new survey. Property owners
do not need to worry. They own the
land the way the creator put it
there, and not the way a misguided
engineer located it over SO years
ago.
Survey Big Job
Starting this year the crews in
charge of Mr.. Berry, have worked
north from a point near Hunters.
Parties on the west side are now
Of
on the east side are about three
miles above Marcus.
The survey parties first establish
the section corners and section lines,
getting an up-to-date survey of all
land in the Columbia valley Their
second job is locating the boundary
of the Grand Coulee dam reservoir.
The latter job involves the survey
ing of over TOO miles of proposed
shore line. This vast lake comes up
the Columbia valley 154, up the
Kettle valley eight miles, the Spo-
kane valley IS miles, and the San
Poll valley eight miles.
Finding section corners, some of
which have never been located since
they were established over 40 years
ago, is not always easy. The search
for one of these corners near Kettle
Falls recently led to an interesting
experience.
The field notes of the survey
made in 1896 located the southeast
corner Of township SO, range 81 east,
by reference to a four Inch fir
tree on which the blaze marks had
been made. After a long search, the
engineers located a marked rock
which led them to the tree. The
four-inch fir of 1896 had become
16-inch tree, but after much cut
ting the blaze mark was found still
intact, "TWp. SO N, R. 81 E. S. &c."
The marked section of the tree
has been cut out and will be pre-
served among the relics of the
Grand Coulee construction period.
When the tree was cut down, a
graphic picture of the wet and dry
years of the past four decades was
revealed in the rings of growth.
The blaze mark established defin-
itely the ring which signified 1896.
From there until 1903 the tree grew
raplQly. from 1915 W 1910, Was d
period of more moderate growth,
some years good and some fair.
From 1916 on, the tree showed the
effects of many dry years.
On Mr.. Berrys desk is paper
weight made from a rock which
marked section corner On Hawk
creek, near Peach. The engineers
had been unable to locate the old
marker for that corner so ran out
their own lines and started digging
a hole to put in a new marker.
Fourteen inches down they found
this rock, placed there by the
original survey party. It shows what
can be done by accurate work.
n