Surveying the Northern Boundary of Iowa

by Donald Borcherding

The Northern Boundary of Iowa was surveyed by a crew of 40 men, headed by Captain Andrew Talcott in 1852. When Iowa became a State in 1846, the Northern Boundary was defined as the Parallel of Latitude of 43 degrees 30 minutes North. Talcott was a West Point Graduate, retired Captain with the Corp of Engineers and currently was employed as the Chief Engineer of the Richmond to Danfield Railroad. He was an experienced surveyor, having surveyed the disputed Michigan-Ohio Border and a member of the United States Northeastern Boundary Commission. He was an accomplished Astronomer and developed the "Talcott Method" of determining Latitude. The Commissioner of the General Land Office, Justin Butterfield, recommended that Talcott be hired by George B. Sargent, Surveyor General of Wisconsin and Iowa. After almost two years of planning, Sargent assembled the crew and sent them up the Mississippi River April 1st 1852. They left Dubuque, Iowa on the Lamartine Steamboat equipped with wagons, oxen and horses for transportation and supplies for six months, all furnished by Quarter Master David Sears. First Assistant Isaac Smith, and James Marsh, George Stuntz and John Sheller were experienced Deputy Surveyors assigned to the crew by George Sargent. It was hoped the survey could be completed in one season and a bonus of $.50 was offered as an incentive on top of the average $2.00 per diem. The book contains over 150 letters of instructions, field notes, reports on progress, problems with transportation and equipment and final calculations and reports on the completed survey. They include Talcott's private letterbook and entries from his personal diaries. The expedition included the sons of a couple of politicians and was training for several future Deputy Surveyors in the area. They completed the 265 mile survey and successfully monumented the Boundary in one season, while also testing the accuracy of Burt's Solar Compass.

261 pages, Paperback

Published August 18, 2020