Bullz Eye

[LS_8750]

Looking west to east on the attached.
The line, about 2000 feet in length, was created by deed in 1898.
The old railroad tie fence posts came from the Schellville rail stop and were loaded onto wagons, brought over a hand full of miles and set shortly after, or during, the time the original surveyor was on site.
The old vine row is about 50-60 years old and follows the fence line about 1.5 feet north of the old posts.

A line of monuments per recent record of survey were found in the vineyard on the left 20 feet away from the old fence posts.
Methodology employed to set the monuments was "holding record angle", otherwise known as Santeria.

Life in the Bullz Eye.

[Jim Frame]

Wow.

[Timothy J. Reilly]

That’s pretty sexy research. I doubt that information was provided on any map from 1898.

Seems to me you just raised the bar. Thank you.

[LS_8750]

Here is an ALTA survey, no monuments indicated, non-decipherable line work, encroachments, non-encroachments, you name it.
The catch? A firm right out of the Gold Star Poster Child Orange County.
Holiday in the Bullz Eye......

Of course I found original monuments, non-record monuments, all sorts of things that contradicted the ALTA.

[DWoolley]

The legal description is a parcel from a filed parcel map. In addition to no monuments, the ALTA survey documents encroachments in the southeast corner. Does the documentation of the encroachments required the filing of a record of survey?

In a previous lifetime, I would have sent that ALTA to BPELSG.

DWoolley

[LS_8750]

I found record monuments, non-record monuments (chased down the old surveyor to no avail), I found more agreement with occupation based on monuments found than that shown on the ALTA. The SE corner encroachments were significant..... We found an original parcel map pipe in the parking lot under the AC and base rock......... All the usual stuff....

[LS_8750]

I like being a land surveyor, I like surveying......
I used to be Gung Ho when arriving on the job site like, "We're Surveyors!" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpTpONqojSc

But I'm older now, and I see more like the old rancher/farmer ............ Who views surveyors as fraudsters....... Calling off 100 years plus old fence lines........... Or like the Afghani freedom fighters above........

I don't like being stereotyped as a grifter..... I've worked too hard.......

[LS_8750]

Is the Bullz Eye limited to Benson and his pals and their tentacles extending from the San Francisco Bay?
Not a chance.

There was and is no escape from the Bullz Eye in California.

A good read to illustrate this point is David Igler's "Industrial Cowboys". Link here: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/industrial-cowboys/paper

Igler was a UC history professor and in his book he tells the story of Miller and Lux and their massive and vast cattle ranching operation that began after the war with Mexico and statehood and spanned into the early 20th century. It is a fascinating story of California history where ranchos were bought cheap, railroads were routed to suit the mutual benefit of the cattle operation and the railroads, County assessors, recorders, politicians were all on the Miller and Lux payroll. Oh, and surveyors too.......

The model was set. And many followed after. Think dams and bridges and Federal and State Water Projects. Think of the iron cowboys who graded out all the roads and pads in So Cal.

Think of the Gold Rush and the hydraulic mining and the levees and the squatting on non-confirmed rancho lands and the stealing and desperation.

California is the Bullz Eye.