THE NEVADA TRAVERSE - Nevada Association of Land Surveyors

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Terra Incognita.. continued from page 9 banks of the San Miguel River. For 24 years it would be his home and base of operations for exploration of the Pimería Alta. He began his reconnaissance of Arizona in 1691 24 , establishing the Mission San Xavier del Buc at what is now Tucson in 1692. 25 Kino produced maps of his explorations and sent them on to the Viceroy in Mexico City and his Jesuit superiors in Spain. Kino had learned at the University of Ingolstadt that California was a peninsula, but after arriving in Mexico he was persuaded by resident scholars that it was an island. His surviving 1696 map, depicting his explorations on the mainland and southern Baja, includes speculative geography he copied from existing maps in Mexico City, showing California as an island. (Fig. 3) But beginning in 1698 he made 2 explorations which included side trips to Cerro de Santa Clara, a mountain from which he thought he could see the head of the Vermilion Sea, the Gulf of California. Figure 3. Kino’s 1696 compilation map “Theater of Apostolic Work of the Society of Jesus” showing areas he had explored on the Sinaloa coast and the California peninsula In 1699 Kino undertook an expedition north to the junction of the Gila and Colorado Rivers, to what is now Yuma, Arizona. The Yuma Indians there presented him with a gift of blue shells, the same he had seen on the Pacific coast of Baja in 1685. Later, the Indians told him that the shells could be found on the Pacific coast, perhaps a 8 or 10 day pack from there. That suggested that Lower California was peninsular. If a land route to Baja were feasible, he could supply Salvatierra’s missions by an overland route, saving enormous effort and expense. Kino also envisioned expanding his work into Alta California, so he was determined to investigate further. In 1701 he was finally able to see the actual head of the Gulf and estimate a latitude. “California no es ysla,” he wrote in a memoir, “sino penisla.” From that he produced his most famous map. (Fig. 4) In 1702 he made his last trip to the Gila River, following it to the Colorado River, then downstream to the Gulf itself. An examination of Kino’s numerous letters, journals and diaries reveals the instruments he used during his explorations, as well as his field methods. The instruments had to be compact and robust, as he conducted numerous explorations on foot or horseback during his 24 years at Dolores. So unlike our modern GPS equipment, which in most situations can quickly 24 The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 Figure 4. Tracing of Kino’s original 1701 Map “The Passage by Land to California” which was plagiarized for 50 years by numerous European cartographers produce latitude and longitude to centimeters, or for that matter unlike the much more elaborate Islamic astrolabes, Kino relied on a simple mariner’s astrolabe to observe latitude. Kino’s astrolabe has not been found, but it was not likely to be much over 8” in diameter, and perhaps smaller so it could easily be accommodated in a saddle bag. A typical 8” diameter astrolabe would show single degree graduations on the circumference at about 0.07” in width, would not carry a vernier, and so would not provide great precision. In addition he carried a small refracting telescope, with an objective of 2 inches or so, perhaps 10 power with a resolution of about 3 arc seconds. 26 Kino also carried a small compass for direction, likely fitted with a gnomon so it could also be used as a sundial. Some Southwestern researchers, Dr. Ronald L. Ives in particular, attempted to determine if Kino corrected for magnetic declination. There appears to be no direct evidence that he did so. However, an examination of the historic magnetic declinations 27 in Pimería Alta, not available to Dr. Ives, shows a swing from about 3 degrees west declination in 1650 AD, to about 5 degrees east declination in 1700 AD. Kino’s observations for direction and time then were not wildly in error from a failure to correct for magnetic declination, while still subject to systematic error from it. Taking a single solar observation on the apparent meridian is risky. A better method would be to observe the sun through its arc in the sky and note its highest apparent ascent. There is no need to predetermine the meridian. But without an instrument with tangent screws that could traverse from side to side, taking a shot on the meridian is next best. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 u
Sustaining Members Following is a listing of sustaining members of the Nevada Association of Land Surveyors. Please remember that these firms and businesses, through their NALS membership, are supporting the aims and objectives of our association. Bruce L. Gandelman California Surveying & Drafting Supply 4733 Auburn Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95841 (916) 344-0232 � H&S Positioning Nevada 4445 S. Valley View Blvd. No. 2 Las Vegas, NV 89103 (800) 432-8380 � North American Mapping 4011 W. Cheyenne Ave., Ste. B, No. Las Vegas, NV 89032 (702) 646-1732 2175 Green Vista Dr., Suite 207, Sparks, NV 89431 (775) 673-6000 • Toll Free: (800) 473-0627 � Kenney Aerial Mapping Inc. 3470 E. Russell Rd., Suite 208 Las Vegas, NV 89120 (702) 260-3033 � Dave Hamlin Nevada Department of Transportation 1263 S. Stewart Street Carson City, NV 89712 (775) 888-7256 Spencer B. Gross, Inc. Andy Daniels, President 1010 Caughlin Crossing, Suite #3 Reno, NV 89519 www.sbgreno.com • (775) 826-4240 � Surv-Kap, Inc. P.O. Box 27367 Tucson, AZ 85726 (800) 445-5320 � Cartwright Aerial Surveys, Inc. Executive Airport, 5979 Freeport Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95822 (916) 421-3465 www.casmap.com � Seco Manufacturing Company, Inc. 4155 Oasis Road Redding, CA 96003 (530) 225-8155 • Fax (530) 225-8162 � Monsen Engineering, Inc. 5115 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89118 (702) 220-6505 • Toll Free: (800) 821-0672 1140 Financial Blvd. #400, Reno, NV 89502 (775) 359-6671 Mitchel E. Bartorelli Tri-State Photogrammetry 1925 E. Prater Way Sparks, NV 89434 (775) 358-9491 � Ben Mallen Trimble Navigation Limited 10355 Westmoor Drive Westminster, CO 80021 (720) 587-4576 � Berntsen International, Inc. P.O. Box 8670 Madison, WI 53708 Toll Free: (800) 356-7388 surveymark@berntsen.com � AeroTech Mapping 2580 Montessouri St., #104 Las Vegas, NV 89117 (702) 228-6277 • Fax (702) 228-6753 � Joe Schmidt Holman’s of Nevada 4445 S. Valley View Blvd., Ste. 2 Las Vegas, NV 89103 The Nevada Traverse Vol. 39, No. 2, 2012 25
Page 1: The Nevada Traverse Institutional A
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Page 6 and 7: The President’s Report by Raymond
Page 8 and 9: Boundary Relic Has a New Home By Pa
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Page 12 and 13: 2012 CLSA/NALS Joint Conference Wra
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Page 20 and 21: Nevada’s Four Year Degree Surveyi
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Page 33 and 34: Great Basin Chapter Report by Carl
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Page 45 and 46: Name: Firm/Employer: Business Phone
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