HONORING THE SURVEY OF THE MICHIGAN MERIDIAN Submitted by Joseph Fenicle, PS On November 17, 1807 a line was described as the Western line of the Treaty of Detroit. This line would become the Michigan Meridian in 1815 and 200 years thereafter a dedication ceremony for a new Ohio Historical Marker would be held commemorating the survey and the surveyors. A 200th Anniversary celebration will also be held in October to dedicate a new historical marker honoring Michigan s two Initial Points. The Treaty of Detroit as executed by General William Hull, Governor of the Michigan Territory, was signed by the tribes of the Ottawa, Chippewa, Wyandot and Pottwatamie. As requested by President Thomas Jefferson this treaty covered the first public land to be available in what would become the State of Michigan in 1837. In total the Treaty of Detroit covered 345,600 acres. The Treaty also stipulated payments and annuities to the tribes and an agreement that agreed and stipulated, that the said Indian nations shall enjoy the privilege of hunting and fishing on the lands ceded as aforesaid, as long as they remain the property of the United States. The boundaries of the Treaty of Detroit are Beginning at the mouth of the Miami river of the lakes, and running thence up the middle thereof, to the mouth of the great Au Glaize river, thence running due north, until it intersects a parallel of latitude, to be drawn from the outlet of lake Huron, which forms the river Sinclair; thence running north east the course, that may be found, will lead in a direct line, to White Rock, in lake Huron, thence due east, until it intersects the boundary line between the United States and Upper Canada, in said lake, thence southwardly, following the said boundary line, down said lake, through river Sinclair, lake St. Claire, and the river Detroit, into Lake Erie, to a point due east of the aforesaid Miami river, thence west to the place of beginning. Historically White Rock was sacred to the Ojibawa Indians. Similar to Roche De Boeuf along the Maumee River, White Rock was a spiritual place for the natives. Today much of the rock has been destroyed due partly to harsh ice on Lake Huron, but mostly due to the Air Force using it as target practice during World War II. Unfortunately the Treaty Line was not without controversy. The native tribes understood the agreement to be a straight line between the intersection of the Miami River of the lakes (Maumee River) and the Au Glaize River (Auglaize Michigan Surveyor, Page 14 River) directly to White Rock, cutting out thousands of acres. The native tribes argued that they did not know and understand the lines made up in the Treaty and they only understood landmarks (i.e. White Rock and the Rivers). When Alexander Holmes, DS had the contract to survey the Michigan Baseline he had to turn back due to Indian hostility. Benjamin Hough, DS was contracted to survey the sections along the Road between Fort Meigs and the Western Reserve also had to turn back due to Indian hostility. Ironically these two deputy surveyors would team up to survey the Michigan Meridian. The War of 1812 was the Battle between the United States and the British Empire. They were trying to restrict trade and America s desire to expand. The most memorable battles were the loss in Detroit and the victory in the Battle of Lake Erie led by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Other key battles were in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans. The War of 1812 led to the burning of Washington D.C. in 1814. On February 17, 1815 the Treaty of Ghent was signed and the 2nd War of Independence was won and national pride soared. Beyond the unfortunate deaths of thousands of Americans the national debt inflated from 80 million dollars to 125 million dollars. Due to the increased debt the government needed land to fulfill the Military Warrants and it also needed additional land to pay off the remainder of the national debt. Fort Defiance in Ohio was a key strong hold in the War of 1812. It was originally built by General Mad Anthony Wayne in 1794. All forts back then were built within a day s march from each other. According to Lieutenant John Boyer Fort Defiance provided protection from The English, the Indians, and all the devils in hell. Fort Defiance also was used in the Northwest Indian War and Tecumseh s War. The Act of May 06, 1812 stated That the President of the United States be, and he is hereby authorized to cause to be surveyed a quantity of the public lands of the United States, fit for cultivation, not otherwise appropriated, and to which the Indian title is extinguished, not exceeding in the whole six millions of acres, two millions to be surveyed in the territory of Michigan. With that understanding the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Josiah Meigs, wrote a letter to
Surveyor General Edward Tiffin on March 23, 1815. Meigs stated Let the two million acres in Michigan be as near the north boundary of OHIO & the western shore of Lake Erie, as convenient. The northern boundary of Ohio not having yet been determined, you will be careful not to extend the surveys so far south as to encroach on that boundary. The Act of December 24, 1811 & January 11, 1812 stated provided that military bounties of 160 acres would be given to each soldier who had faithfully served in the armed forces in the war with Great Britain. In April of 1815 Edward Tiffin contracted with Benjamin Hough, DS to survey the Michigan Meridian and certain townships in the Michigan Territory. The rate was $2.50 for the townships and $3.00 per mile for the Meridian Survey. Since Hough had difficulty surveying the sections along the Road between Fort Meigs and the Western Reserve and Holmes had to turn back on his Michigan Baseline survey the two surveyors decided to team up. It is my opinion that the two surveyors tried to fulfill both contracts together in a mere span of three months. It did not work out as planned. The crew for the Meridian Survey as put together by Hough was Alexander Holmes, DS, Thomas Evans, DS, Allison Looker, DS and nine other men to clear line, hunt, cook and haul equipment. Benjamin Hough, DS was born in Loudon County, Virginia and raised in Washington County, Pennsylvania. At the age of 28 he purchased land in the Seven Ranges of eastern Ohio. In 1802 he surveyed in Cross Creek Township near Steubenville, OH and in 1804 was appointed as a General Land Office (GLO) Deputy Surveyor at 31 years of age. In 1804 he also became a County Commissioner for Jefferson County, OH. Between the years of 1805 to 1808 he was a member of the Ohio Senate, Ohio House of Representatives and became the State of Ohio Auditor. Hough was 42 years old when he got the contract to survey the Michigan Meridian and he passed away 5 years thereafter. Hough s family moved from England and had a strong surveying background. His grandfather, John Hough was a surveyor of Lord Fairfax and became a super wealthy landowner. He was a friend of George Washington and was known for building Corby Hall in Waterford, VA in which Washington stayed. John Hough had nine children 3 of which became surveyors. Amos Hough, Benjamin s father was a wellknown surveyor in Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Similar to Hough Alexander Holmes, DS was also raised in Washington County, Pennsylvania. At 22 years old in 1800 he was appointed as a GLO Deputy Surveyor. Holmes moved to Licking County, Ohio in 1804 and thru the years became the Licking County Surveyor Common Pleas Court Michigan Surveyor, Page 15 Judge. Holmes held the contract to survey the Michigan Baseline and at the same time was 37 years old when he assisted Hough with the Meridian. Holmes passed in 1833 at 55 years old. Holmes family was also from England and he was one of 14 children, two of which became deputy surveyors. Not much is known about Thomas Evans, DS other than he held additional contracts to subdivide townships in Michigan. Allison Looker, DS was married to Hough s daughter Rachel. Looker held contracts to survey in the State of Indiana and was also an officer in the War of 1812. After Allison passed away Rachel married his brother James Harvey Looker. The Looker family was relation to Abraham Clark who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The theory is that since Hough and Holmes could not work separately on their contracts they would team up to do the Meridian and layout the Baseline at the same time. They would travel to the baseline and calculate the latitude. They would then travel to Fort Defiance and calculate the latitude there as well. They could then, in theory, run North without backtracking South and fulfill both their contracts together. On September 29, 1815 Hough and crew ran the Meridian North after crossing the Maumee River and studying Polaris for two nights in a row. Hough calculated a 4 degree 39 minute East variation. In an October 2014 article titled GLO Procedures for Astronomical Observation, Jack Owens, PS believes that based on the September date Hough was able to observe the Western Elongation early in the evening followed 12 hours later by Eastern Elongation early in the morning. Hough dialed that into his compass and ran it for 42 miles until they hit the Military Bounty Lands. At this point the group split up because they were low on provisions. Holmes continued North along the Meridian and Hough traversed East along the South line of the proposed Military Lands also being the South line of Township 13 South. The provisions were low and the conditions tough. Hough wrote to Tiffin on October 12, 1815 I found thus far, exceeding bad ground to run lines over, being very thick of underbrush, and in many places for a great distance, almost impassable. He continued to write Our situation is at this time very unpleasant, having been on short allowance of provision for 5 days, and at this time not 10 lbs. of flour for 13 men until a supply can be brought from Detroit, which will require at least 2 days; but we don t despair of surmounting the difficulty, if our health is preserved, with which we have been blessed so far. In a separate letter to Tiffin, Holmes wrote We have suffered almost every hardship, and encountered almost every difficulty that could be expected of mortals to endure, but amidst all have been blessed with good health. It is my intention not to quit
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until I finish, which I hope to accomplish before the 20th of next month. They somehow continued North and ran into the Grand River which was impassable. In book 3 ½ Hough wrote Came to a creek about 200 links wide, running West, the channel very deep, with a strong current, supposed to be the Grand River. They traversed around the Grand River and continued North. Hough and Holmes continued the Meridian North and set the initial point. While running the Baseline East they encountered multiple lakes which again involved more traversing and meandering. After completing 39 miles of the baseline Holmes left the field. Hough left the field in October due to illness and by late November all of the surveyors ceased their work. Tiffin wrote to Meigs The Surveyors who went to survey the Military land in Michigan Territory have been obliged to suspend their operations until the country shall be sufficiently froze so as to bear man and beast. He continued to write the famous statement of the balance is so bad there would not be more than one acre out of a hundred, if there would be one out of a thousand, that would in any case admit Cultivation. Due to this fact and going against the Act of May 06, 1812 the surveys were officially suspended on April 02, 1816. The Military Bounty Lands were then decided to be transferred to the Illinois and Missouri Territories. On July 16, 1816 the surveys resumed and led to even more confusion. Joseph Fletcher was given a contract to continue the Baseline, but his work was rejected. Holmes eventually came back and continued the Baseline to Lake St. Clair while Joseph Wampler, DS got a contract to re-survey the Meridian North of the Grand River. On January 03, 1824 Wampler found the Post set by Hough at the Initial Point. Wampler also re-surveyed the Baseline West and upon closing into the already established Meridian missed Hough s Initial Point by 14.18 chains. Wampler set an additional Initial Point giving Michigan two Initial Points. Michigan is the only state in the Public Land Survey System to have two Initial Points. The Initial Points are Northeast of Jackson and upon review of any topo map or aerial photography you can pick out the jog in the Baseline. The lakes that were meandered are now called Portage Lake, Baseline Lake and the real problem was Whitmore Lake. The Michigan Meridian was eventually continued North by various surveyors such as Clark, Brink, Clason, Brevort, Hodgson and Burt. William Austin Burt extended the Michigan Meridian across the Straits of Mackinaw to the Canadian Border in 1840. Michigan has dedicated a State Park to these early surveys called Meridian Baseline State Park. A parking lot has recently been installed and work is currently underway to build a bridge and trails back to the Initial Points. In addition, the 1815 Surveying Michigan group out of Jackson is raising money for a Historical Marker of their own to share the rich history of the Meridian, Baseline and Initial Points. The application to the Michigan Historical Commission has been approved and the new Michigan Historic Marker is to be placed during an October 2015 dedication ceremony. At the intersection of the Michigan Meridian and the Ohio- Michigan State Line a new historical marker has been placed to commemorate the respective surveys and surveyors. During the last day of National Surveyors Week on March 21st 2015 a group of approximately 100 surveyors, historians and the interested general public held an unveiling of the new Ohio Historical Marker designated 4-26 being the fourth marker in the 26th alphabetical county in Ohio, Fulton County. After completion of a lengthy application process, petitioning for funding and lastly gaining private landowner approval the entire process took almost two years to complete. My initial contact with the landowners (Randy and Sarah Carothers) was on May 18, 2012. Sarah wrote We are happy to have the historical marker placed and hopefully enjoyed by people who share an interest in this historic event. Without their support this project would have been dead in the water. The marker, not including installation, cost $2,754.15. On May 24, 2012 I gave a presentation on the history of the Michigan Meridian at the monthly meeting of the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio (PLSO) in Defiance, Ohio. Ironically within a couple hundred feet from the meeting is where Deputy Surveyor Benjamin Hough began the survey of the Michigan Meridian. The chapter was ecstatic to donate money for such a cause and a motion was made to donate at least $1000 for Meridian Plaque.... This gave me the fuel to complete the application and sell my idea to the Ohio Historical Society. The application process included developing a Statement of Significance explaining why the person, place, event or thing to be marked is significant at the local, state, and/or national level. It is critical that the Statement of Significance be strong, yet succinct or you would be wasting your time even completing the application. Next in the process was coming up with the Suggested Marker Text where you have to condense your Statement of Significance down to no more than 130 words so it can be physically fit on the cast aluminum marker. This was also very difficult to do as every statement of fact on the Suggested Marker Text had to be documented with footnotes or endnotes to prove accuracy. I continued my fundraising efforts by going to Jackson to give a presentation to the Central Chapter of MSPS. Michigan Surveyor, Page 18
Ironically, again, the Michigan Meridian ran within hundreds of feet of the meeting location, only now I was approximately 63 miles north of the Initial Points well into undisputed Michigan Territory. The chapter was more than willing to donate money to such a cause in both 2013 and 2014. Donations were also obtained from the Toledo Chapter of PLSO which allowed for the installation of a concrete pad around the marker for the ease of long term maintenance and protection against DOT mowing crews. Once the application was reviewed and accepted, final Suggested Marker Text agreed upon, and donations obtained, final payment was submitted and the order was sent off to be cast in aluminum at Sewah Studios in Marietta, Ohio. Sewah Studios was founded by E.M. Hawes in 1927 and the name Sewah is a simply Hawes spelt backward. Sewah markers are found in all fifty states and are the official marker for most states. The opposite side of the marker commemorates the 100th anniversary of the much more popular Ohio- Michigan State Line Survey. News of the new historical marker hit all the local papers and the weekend before the ceremony also hit the Associated Press. Most recently Michigan s own Point of Beginning (POB) Magazine featured an article titled Marking History and was in the April Issue giving coverage to over 35,000 subscription holders worldwide. Also later this year on November 6th, 2015 I will be offering 4 hours of Continuing Professional Development during a seminar featuring the Michigan Meridian, Ohio-Michigan State Line and more. Joseph Fenicle, PS Ohio & Michigan Professional Land Surveyor Chief Surveyor, Office of the Fulton County Engineer Angular By Nature, LLC Land Surveying Services & Continuing Education Instructors Michigan Surveyor, Page 19