Table of Contents

William A. Richards

Diaries of a Frontier Surveyor

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INTRODUCTION

 

Surveyors: Unsung Heroes of the Westward Expansion

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William A. Richards: Surveyor to Statesman, by Dennis D. Bland

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In State and National Office, Richards Promotes Irrigation and Conservation

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Strong Support From His Pioneer Family Helps Richards Succeed

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Surveying Terms, Tools, and Techniques Appearing in These Diaries

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PARTS 1-6   THE DIARIES AND RELATED MATERIAL

 

Part 1   Young Man Goes West, Gets Started in Surveying

Diary, Illinois and Nebraska, 1869–71

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Part 2   Challenges on the Wyoming Boundaries

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Survey of the South Boundary of Wyoming Territory, 1873

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Survey of the Western Boundary of Wyoming Territory, 1874

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Plat From Field Notes Showing Topography and Altitudes

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Part 3   Surveyors Trek Back to the Boundaries, 1906–2019

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A Surprise at Wyoming's Northwest Corner, 1958

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Attending to Wyoming’s Boundary Markers, 1990s (Surveyor Paul Scherbel’s campaign)

Reestablishing the Corner for Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho 

Remonumenting the Northwest Corner

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Recovering the Wyoming-Montana-Idaho Corner

 

Restoring the Southwest Corner Monument

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Part 4  Exploring and Homesteading in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin

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Diaries mention most early settlers of the Nowood country, and numerous footnotes shed light on them and their history

 

Diary, Exploration of the Basin, 1884

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Diary, Return to the Basin, 1885

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Part 5   Related Letters and Stories

Richards’s Letter to His Wife, 1885

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A Close Call as Wyoming Surveyor General, 1891

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Richards’s Letter to President Ulysses S. Grant, 1870

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Hunting and Other Stories of W. A. Richards:

 

A Night Shot at Ephraim

 

Traveling Under Difficulties 

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My Best Shot

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A Remarkable Shot

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Wild Fight for Life

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Hunting a Buffalo Bull

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Pinchot Recalls One of Richards’ Stories

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Part 6   Appendix

Richards’ Surveys in Nebraska, 1869–1875

Maps and contract details by Gene A. Thomsen, a Nebraska deputy surveyor and historian

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Instruments Listed in the Field Notes of the 1873 and 1874 Boundary Surveys

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Essays by Dr. Herbert W. Stoughton

Dr. Stoughton is a Wyoming surveyor who has overseen surveying and mapping projects throughout the world, and frequently consulted throughout the United States on 17th through 20th century historical surveying matters.

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Flagstaffs, Stadia Rods, and Other Sighting Targets

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Classical Spherical Trigonometry and Surveying for Latitude

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Theodolites

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Mound Building

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The Tangent-Offset Method for Surveying a Parallel of Latitude

Astronomical Azimuth Observations/Determinations

Zenith Telescope

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Ocular Micrometer

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Sources and Notes

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Index