X marks the spot - Oregon Survey History #1 Traditional Geocache
GeoCrater: I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from nor action by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note.
GeoCrater
Geocaching.com Community Volunteer Reviewer
X marks the spot - Oregon Survey History #1
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This cache is at the origin of all land surveys in Oregon Territory. It is located in a nice wooded area in Portlands West Hills. The trail leading to the cache is at a small incline and about 500' from the main road.
The Willamette Stone was a small stone obelisk originally located in the western hills of Portland, Oregon in the United States. It marked the intersection and origin of the Willamette Meridian and Willamette Baseline, which defined the grid system of sections and townships from which all real property in the states of Oregon and Washington has been measured following the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850.
The location of the original stone is now indicated by a stainless steel marker in Willamette Stone State Heritage Site, an Oregon state park approximately four miles (6.4 km) west of downtown Portland. The site is on Skyline Boulevard, in the West Hills overlooking the Tualatin Valley and the Willamette River watershed.
The grid defined by the stone extended the Public Land Survey System and was used as the basis of land claims in the Oregon Territory. The first marker, a red cedar stake, was placed on the site in 1851 by John B. Preston, the first Surveyor General of the Oregon Territory,[1] who was appointed by President Millard Fillmore to create a system for surveying land in the territory. The location was chosen such that the base line would not cross the Columbia River and the meridian would lie west of Vancouver Lake. The grid system was an extension of the system used in the Northwest Territory proposed by Thomas Jefferson. The Willamette Stone marked the location of the first townships and ranges north and south of the marker.
The stake was replaced by a stone obelisk in July 25, 1885. On two sides, the stone was marked with the words "BASE" and "LINE", while on the other two sides it was marked with the words "WILL." and "MER." The stone was vandalized in the 1980s and replaced with the current marker, as well as an accompanying bronze plaque.
Baseline Road in Washington County, and Meridian Road in Clackamas and Marion counties, are so named because their alignment lies mostly along the Willamette Baseline and Willamette Meridian, respectively.
This cache is now 'owned' by the Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon and the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors, which, in conjunction with the National Society of Professional Land Surveyors geocache program, has a goal of promoting the surveying profession at national and state levels. PLSO wishes to thank Hopalong & Hobblealong Cachedy for transferring ownership of this important piece of Oregon Surveying history to the profession.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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