Show Master Map MapIs Is Record ofU of U U. S. S Growth Land Lan Office Completes Biennial Revision Painstaking J Job oL By Dy NOAH JOHNSON WASHINGTON Down Louisiana way someone discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered a few years ago that East island 65 miles off oft New Orleans in the Gulf of Mexico had moved approximately two and one- one fourth miles during the past hundred years Natives Natives like like you and me me- me shook their heads and said wasn't that strange They forgot about it but Uncle Sam had to remember because someone might ask him about East Island About the same time government surveyors discovered the Missouri river had jumped its tracks around Bismarck N N N. D. D just a natural phenomenon phenomenon phe to the folks at Bismarck but a minor is crt to Uncle Sam It messed up his land records something something something some some- thing awful Log Jam and Earthquake Meanwhile back in Louisiana again a great log jam formed Inthe in inthe inthe the Red river growing until It obstructed obstructed ob ob- the stream and forced hurried hurried hur hur- ried wa waters lers to drain of off Into bayous That was another headache for government gov surveyors who had just returned from Arkansas where they found that an earthquake in 1808 had left lakes where no lakes were supposed to be Every two years since 1882 this headache has been boiled down into r. r t t s ay 3 v 0 i iA A sir J yet t t M bF 1 i STEP NO AO 3 Multiple 3 color presses produce the finished map at the rate of 1000 sheets heets per hour a picture seven feet long and five live feet high known as 81 the official master mas mas- master ter map of the United States In Inthe Inthe Inthe the office of ot Land Commissioner Fred W. W Johnson part of the U. U S. S department of the Interior workmen workmen work work- men condense on the nee nee- dle sharp point of an in engraving ins Instrument In strument millions of pages of ot official cial records hundreds of thousands of drawings and years of ot wearisome trudging by hundreds of government surveyors over more than acres of public lands The newest map prepared by order or ors der of congress Is just now comIng coming corning com corn ing off oft the press I Most Perfect Map lap Made l When you ou know the details theres there's something terrifyingly grandiose about this map It carries a key to the identification of original titles to approximately parcels i l lL I L- L t 1 F t. t y z STEP NO 1 Mho's I Who's land is it Outside of the original 13 states Slates Kentucky West Vest Virginia Maine Vermont Texas and Tennessee Tennessee Ten Ten- the answer is found in more than two and one-half one miles of books like these in the general land office once They show SIOW transfer of I more than parcels parcel o of f public domain as rom compiled piled under I the rectangular survey Tty system source of basic information for the tle I new master masler map Dept of interior Photos I STEP NO AO Engraved 2 Engraved 2 backwards back back- backwards wards by hand on copper plate every detail in the new map i is prepared in operations like th this More than 20 copper plates are used in assembling the completed completed com com- map It requires one year to make the additions and changes for each publication of land transferred to private ownership ownership ownership own own- by federal patent during the past century It shows outlines of the national rectangular survey system tern tem upon which such land disposal was based As AI if U that were not enough it presents a 1939 1039 picture of ot the United States from A to 2 Z Including state boundaries cities towns rivers railroads national parks and reservations outlying territories territories ter ter- ter and possessions To compile It workmen had to examine examine ex ex- amine constantly changing drawings called township plats on onOle file Ole in the land office Every minute change had to be inscribed backwards backwards backwards back back- wards by hand on 20 permanent copper cop per plates from which the maps are I lithographed obliterating old details I and substituting the new When engraving engraving en en- graving was complete artists added color affording easy identification of major features Then workmen I I could lean back and relax watching their finished baby roll off color presses of the geological survey at atthe atthe atthe I the rate of 1000 sheets an hour I I History Chronicled on Map I Commissioner Johnson will tell I you that many a strange chapter in American history can be read from his map One of them concerns three large tracts of No Mans Man's Land later parts of Minnesota the two Dakotas Colorado and Louisiana Louisi Louisi- ana which were acquired by the th United States without treaty cession cession ces sion purchase or other formal proceedings pro at the beginning This quirk In national development develop develop- development ment grew out of the hastily drawn Louisiana purchase from France in 1803 which stated that the United States should get lands in the drainage drainage drain drain- age basin of the Mississippi river Later when the treaty for annexation annexation annexation tion of Texas was negotiated in 1845 the east boundary of that area was set at the Sabine river Between these two boundaries lay some square miles mlles of the southwestern corner of Louisiana east of the Sabine and not part of the Mississippi drainage basin Spain contested inclusion of ot this area Into the Union the controversy being settled by a treaty in 1919 This story is shown on Mr Johnson's Johnsons Johnsons Johnson's Johnsons Johnson's John John- sons son's map These however are mere historical cal details which once which once chronicled need need never be changed Land office of flee fice workmen have far more trouble trou trou- trouble ble watching Mother Natures Nature's constructive constructive con con- and destructive tasks an unceasing process which is the majot ma mat major jor jot reason new maps are necessary every two years Sometimes man conspires with Nature to complicate matters and no more fascinating chapter of land office history has ever been written than that concerning Lake Michigan and Chicago where changes In the shore line precipitated a lengthy battle batUe before the United States Supreme Supreme Supreme Su Su- preme court History This was the stirring though unsuccessful unsuccessful unsuccessful un un- un- un successful battle of George e Wellington Streeter and Ma Ma his s wife to secure title to tracts of ot land lan d built up by the restless waves o of f fy Lake Michigan subsequent to early earl y tr i V ti s br t r w a aF F a. r g I k aa aay y STEP NO 4 Mounting 4 th the e map is last Assembled on a background of oj cloth the tee two 0 halves are matched with meticulous meticulous lous loos care to injure insure accuracy i in n every detail general land office surveys of t the S area It was an episode in Chica Chicago's gos go's early history full fully a as a. colorful ul as the legend lelend of ot Mrs O'Leary's OLeary cow Moving onto the lands sometime e in the early these thele two pl picturesque pic a characters sought sought some some sometimes times at the point of a rifle to rifle to r retain retain re re- tain lain possession In spite of ot high w water wa ter and the efforts of ot Chicago police e state and federal officials to ou oust t them from their self created created autonomous autonomous auton principality which they name named of ot Lake Michigan It h comprised 78 acres of ot land near Chicalo Chicago's Chi Cli 1 cagos cago's business bu lne district and alle allegedly alleg g edly started when the found faun d his boat stranded on a shallow reef reel Sand drifted around formed an island is ii land and eventually joined the main malt s land To this day the lake front true it area are Is ia referred to ss II Street Streeter ville vine ed bv by r Union 1 |