Tag Archives: history
Mechanics, Science, Chemistry, and Surveying
The genesis of modern surveying and geodetic instruments sprang from a convergence of multiple sciences I held the century-old instrument, a compact high-precision optical theodolite, and thought: ‘This has more in common with our present-day instruments than not. And who were the geniuses that engineered and built such things?’ Surveying instruments have been in a...
Surveyor’s Corner: Women in Surveying
The future for women in surveying is getting brighter all the time History tells us the journey for female surveyors began with Alice Fletcher in the late 1800s. Fletcher was a social scientist who tried to integrate Native Americans into the European culture spreading across America. After learning that Native Americans feared being banished to...
That Scan-Do Spirit
Preserving heritage sites and objects is a race against time and elements. But thanks to scanning technologies, experts are now more confident humanity’s cultural legacy can be saved. One of the most iconic and visited landmarks in the world is the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. So, it came as a shock on the evening of...
Uncovering History
Cincinnati State students preserve a pre-European Native American historical site in Indiana Some members of the 2021 land surveying class at Cincinnati State have been busy bringing history back to life near the city of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This team of students had the opportunity to survey the site of a village where indigenous people lived...
Land Surveyors: Our Place in History
Editor’s Note: Thank you to John S. Rogers, Arizona Surveying, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ, for his comprehensive thoughts on the prominent role our scientific profession has played throughout the ages. I suspect, or certainly hope, that all professional land surveyors across the country, and our counterparts across the world, have a good understanding of many of the...
Bilby Tower Dedication Honoring Jasper Sherman Bilby
June 14, 2014 was a perfect sunny Saturday in Osgood, Indiana, where many people gathered to dedicate the last known complete survey tower and honor Jasper Bilby, the USC&GS reconnaissance man who had designed it. They included surveyors from more than a dozen states, current and retired employees of the United States Coast and Geodetic...
