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| Ferra Benchmark and GLO A, AZ | |
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| | Ferra Benchmark and GLO A, AZ | | | |
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Ferra Benchmark and GLO A, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.89 Miles |
1,121 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.89 Miles | 5 Hrs 1 Min | | 2.42 mph |
| 1,121 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 35 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This hike included locating many "Things-In-The-Ground".
The "Things" included 8 survey disks of different types, 3 Height of Lights, and several survey witness posts.
Ironically, all these things are related to each other - Some directly and some indirectly.
Ferra Benchmark is the main player, and it was set in place in 1944, on a mountain west of Wickenburg and seven miles north of the town, Aguila,.
I was able to drive right next to the Ferra BM mountain, on ranch and mine roads.
After reading the Ferra BM datasheet twice, (saying to myself "HUH"??), I determined that there were quite a few anomalies on the datasheet.
The anomalies were the main reason I did this hike. Here's some of them.
1 - The placement of the Ferra BM's reference marks.
The datasheet stated one RM was 175 feet from the BM disk ???
I thought, "175 ft must be a typo". The other RM was listed as 76 feet away!!
(Normally RM disks are usually less then 50 feet away)
2 - Ferra's azimuth mark is a GLO mark, a General Land Office disk. Nothing odd about this, except the datasheet mentioned, in detail, a different GLO mark as a means, to locate the Ferra azimuth GLO mark disk.
3 - I have never come across a GLO mark that had ANY other disks affiliated with it. GLO marks are used to designate section line borders, and half sections etc. They are usually "disks on a pipe" and they are all over the country and usually "all by themselves".
Well, this GLO mark, (the one surveyor's used to explain how to locate the actual Ferra Azimuth GLO mark), has its own RM #1 and RM #2 disks, plus its own Azimuth mark.
This GLO mark was set in 1914, and its affiliated disks are dated 1944, and placed by the same NGS Ferra BM surveyors. They gave the GLO mark an actual name also - GLO "A".
Its two RMs and its Azimuth mark are all named GLO "A", including the quotes.
4 - There are alot more anomalies, but I'll mention just one more.
I cannot remember, ever locating a BM disk dated in the years that the USA was in WWII.
(I'm sure there are some, but this "amateur disk locater" has never seen one, until now).
Ferra BM was placed in 1944, which obviously was during the war.
In Arizona, loads of BM disks were placed from 1900 through the 1930s, then most placements stopped until 1946.
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The actual hike was fun and interesting.
Part 1 was going up a rock, and boulder filled mountain, with many little high points, all full of rocks. Only the Ferra BM disk was on the highest point. It's two RM disks were delegated to other lower bumps, mostly due to the lack of enough 'imbedded boulders' on the highest point.
Part 2 of the hike was in a flat, medium vegetated desert. That's where I located the remaining five disks. I could move along quickly in the 'flats', as long as I kept an eye out for cattle scat.
Did I enlighten myself on the anomalies? Some yes, most no.
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PS
HA - Look at my GPS track - It looks like the Big Dipper. -  |
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Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
J.R.R.TOLKIEN |
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