California Surveyors Forums

SURVEY STORIES

A collection of short stories about land surveying.

I am preparing a compendium of stories about land surveying and I am seeking contributions. My goal is to attract interest in the land surveying profession and hopefully, to attract new candidates to the profession. These stories should not exceed 2,500 words and they should cover a variety of topics. I will review and edit these stories as necessary. The thrust of this book will be to put a positive light on land surveying as well as serving as a public relations tool. I would like to share the diverse aspects of land surveying with others.

I intend to publish this book with a print on demand service so that it will be available as an ebook and a paperback.

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact me at:

Michael Pallamary, PLS
7755 Fay Avenue, Suite J
La Jolla, CA 92037

pallamary@pallamaryandassociates.com

This should be a fun project for everyone involved as well as a positive tool for marketing and promotion.

I have always loved this story written by Stan Smith who was an excellent surveyor here in Santa Cruz County. The Monterey Bay Chapter of the CLSA has a yearly scholarship in his name.

As a consideration in the new Ollason agreement the City was to provide certain survey work on the Ollason boundary. I was then employed by Mr. Arnold Baldwin who had the surveying contract under City Engineer Kitchen. Mr. Baldwin picked me up at moon rise on May 4, 1935 and proceeded to the Ollason farm. This was so early the deer had not yet come to feed at the Mann corral. Baldwin drove a spike near Sal Licari's mailbox, put a flashlight behind it, and took an observation on the North Star. This business out of the way we adjourned to breakfast at the west end of Montague's flume. Scraps of Sycamore limbs provided a fire for the coffee and when only live coals remained, Baldwin produced two large steaks which he threw upon the ashes. French rolls which appeared from a gunnysack were opened with an axe. Thus fortified with bread, meat and coffee, we began by the grey light of dawn, the survey of the Ollason boundary. The morning passed in a dusty swirl of dense brush, nettles, witness trees, poison oak, blackberry vines, and ancient fences while noontide crawled toward us and as slowly receded into the forgotten past. I mentioned food and was reminded that I had dined on steak that morning, and this in the darkest year of the Roosevelt Depression. The valley echoed to the ringing of axe and brushhook all through the afternoon and far into the evening. Molinda Ollason arrived home from work at the laundry in her A-Ford and paused to view the battlefield. Land sakes Mr. Baldwin, you folks sure do lay open a fine wide trail! Yes ma'am', said Mr. Baldwin, a person needs room to work. We finished by the light of Baldwin's headlamps and that day for the first time I saw a surveyor at work. There are some days you never forget.

http://www.californiasurveyors.org/PDFs ... _Smith.pdf

Do you know who needs to give me permission to use this story? It is a great one!

See the attached flyer.