|
HELPING THE ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST SERVE THE PUBLIC
|
THE TRIANGULATION STATION ON
TOP OF ROUND TOP MOUNTAIN
(The photos on this page are large and will take a few minutes
to load. We hope you will find the wait worth the time it takes.)
|
Most of us have walked from Carson Pass by Frog Lake to Winnemucca and on to Round Top Lake. Fewer of us have made the climb to the top of the Eldorado National Forest, Round Top Peak. At 10,381 feet above sea level, Round Top, the tallest mountain on the Eldorado National Forest, affords a fantastic view of the surrounding geographic area. This fact did not go unrecognized by the Coast and Geodetic Survey.
In 1807 President Thomas Jefferson authorized the Coast Survey agency to map the coasts of the United States. It did that admirably for many years. In 1871 a new law required the Coast Survey to measure and map the interior of the United States. The name of the agency was changed to the Coast and Geodetic Survey (CGS) in 1878. In 1970 the Coast and Geodetic Survey became part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the National Geodetic Survey. The CGS organization was composed of the most competent cartographers, mathematicians, geodesists, metrologists, hydrographers, topographers, and administrators that could be found in the United States. Following the 1871 law they began what has been described as the most audacious surveying ever undertaken. It was called the 39th Parallel Triangulation or the Transcontinental Arc survey. This adventure, and it was one, sought to triangulate or measure by survey a vast swatch of land across the United States along the 39th Parallel. It spanned a total of 2,750 miles from the lighthouse in Cape May, NJ to Point Arena, CA. The procedure was simple, but the work was obviously hard. To carry out this project, small groups of experts would, at a given point, seek out a new area and establish a baseline from Point A (the given point) to Point B (the new "area"). From the ends of the baseline which was linked to triangulated points of previous triangulation, they measured the angles to many geographic points of interest. One set of observations was the springboard to the next set. A map of this historic project is shown below. |
|
|
|
|
As the teams worked along the 39th parallel they set up observation posts or towers at the ends of the baselines. These could not all be on the parallel itself for several reasons. Many of the naturally occurring points such as mountain peaks and high elevations did not lie on the parallel plus, the topography of the area might not allow any choice due to physical constraints. For the area where the 39th parallel crosses the California-Nevada border, Round Top Mountain was chosen as an observation post.
Led by George Davidson, a pioneer scientist and surveyor on the West Coast, the observation station on top of Round Top was quite complex. Look closely at the photo below. |
|
|
|
| Here is a more detailed view of the top showing five of the six men working there when this photo was taken in 1876. |
|
|
You can observe three major structures and several other constructions. Considering that several of the pieces of equipment used for this science weighed in the hundreds of pounds, this was no little task.
During the Survey's reconnaissance along the 39th parallel of latitude in order to effect the primary triangulation of Nevada and Utah, John Muir was invited to go with them. For some of his observations during that trip, see the Muir On The Nevada Desert Page. The 39th Parallel Survey was successful. It was not completed until 1896 but it helped settle the West. It enabled railroads and dams to be built. You will see a piece of this work on your own deed to your house or property. The coordinates used in your property's description are tied back to this survey. The next time you climb Round Top, think about the pioneering efforts that took place here more than a century ago. The materials and equipment that were toted to the top were overwhelming. Look for some of the signs of these early edifices. They are there as some of the docents who have worked Carson Pass can testify. They have seen the few grainy pictures of these buildings in the area photo album and hopefully showed you the same. |
| Site Map |
ENFIA -- THE ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST INTERPRETIVE ASSOCIATION