California Surveyors Forums

W.F. Benson is included in a list in "Chaining the Land" of associates and employees of John Benson. if you have a copy, see page 192. He was also awarded several contracts in the late 1870's by Theo. Wagner, a Calif. Surveyor General who was accused of misconduct, corruption, misappropriation of funds, and other fun stuff, these contracts being listed under a chart entitled Fraudulent Surveys, on page 190 of the same book.

Good luck. The country you're in is already rough enough without these additional wrinkles.

Dave Ryan
Humboldt County

Here's something I came across while researching surveys done by C.F. Putnam, who is also on 'The List'.

J.E. Woods is on that list, explains a lot about his, umm, fine work product LOL.

He is responsible for the infamous Section 7, T17N, R16W, MDM mess (State vs. Thompson). After the Appellate Court reversed the first Judgment the Superior Court found for the more regular, non-Woods influenced Section (opposite of the Appellate Opinion in the same case despite Res Judicata). The second Superior Court Judge said there was skullduggery going on out there, well no kidding.

Isn't there a township in N central CA that due to their lack of accuracy has about 45 or more sections in it?

I read where the field guy would ride in on the stagecoach taking notes of the terrain, then go to the nearest Saloon and write the field survey notes.

My father the late Donald Foley, PLS 3771, retired from PG&E with 24 years in the Land Department conducting surveys all over CA once stated at a survey conference that he followed some of Benson's surveys and that he did "get in there on a lot of his surveys" Don't know exactly what that does to the price of a quart of milk, but it is some anecdotal evidence that not all of the Benson surveys were fraudulent.

Retracing surveys done by those that have a reputation of doing fraudulent work can be especially challenging. It's not easy performing diligent searches for orginal evidence in extremely rugged terrain, knowing that the likelihood of finding anything is even more remote than the location itself. Been there, done that, and it can be very discouraging.

Not sure about W.F. Benson. Do you have a copy of the Treadwell report from 1886? He was a Special Agent for the Examiner of Surveys Office and investigated some of the Haughn and Foreman surveys in the Klamath area. Give me a call when it is convienent.

Pete Jackson, PLS
Humboldt Co.
707-668-4441