Historic markers honored

Long before GPS technology, key physical markers, critical to surveying, were already established. One of Utah's lesser known baseline markers — the Uintah Meridian — was honored at a special ceremony Friday.

Baseline markers were the point from which the original land surveys proceeded in a given area.

Located about five miles east of Neola, in Uintah County, the Uinta Special Meridian was established by the United States General Land Office (now the BLM) in 1875. It is one of only six initial points specifically designated for the surveying of Indian lands.

The Initial Point of the Uintah Special Meridian is also one of only 38 such manmade markers in the United States (and one of two in Utah), established in the 1800s to mark the starting point of government surveys.

The other initial point meridian in Utah is located at the southeast corner of Temple Square in Salt Lake City and has been designated by a historical marker for many decades now.

To surveyors, these markers are the key to "where your fence post starts."

"We believe that the historical significance of the Uintah Meridian is not only important to us as surveyors but also to the Ute Nation and the people in the surrounding counties," John Stahl, one of the event organizers and longtime member of UCSL, said. The Uintah Meridian, a fixed and consistent point, helped to identify and preserve the boundaries of the Ute Nation.

"We wanted it to be visible and remembered. The monument signifies not only the beginning point of the land surveys but commemorates an important event in history: the designation of the 1861 Uintah Reservation boundaries meant to set apart a safe haven for the Native American people," he said.

This point is still used to govern property in parts of Duchesne, Uintah, and Wasatch counties and plays a key role in establishing land ownership to the Indians on the Uintah and Uncompahgre Indian Reservations in Eastern Utah.

The UCSL spearheaded the meridian's restoration in cooperation with six other entities — the Ute Indian Tribe, the Uintah County Commission, the Duchesne County Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, the Certified Federal Surveyor Program and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping.

In preparation for the dedication, some of the group's joined forces to recover the original position of the Initial Point. The historical marker is a replica of the original stone mound erected in 1875 by Utah deputy surveyor Charles L. Dubois, which was buried and paved over by Highway 121.

"Using the old 1953 survey plat as our guide, and after hours of digging, we were able to locate the 4-inch brass cap approximately 3 feet below the surface of the highway set to mark the original 1875 meridian line," Stahl said.

The historical marker will be placed alongside Highway 121 in a newly constructed turnout. The original meridian located under the highway will receive a new brass cap and will be covered by a specially designed manhole cover marked "Initial Point" to make it accessible for future surveys.

Ceremonies will take place at the intersection of 3500 East on Highway 121, east of Neola. The ceremony will followed by presentations from the Tribal Council, the BLM and local surveyors and end with a barbecue lunch hosted by the Ute Indian Tribe at the Lapoint Pavilion.

e-mail: lynn@desnews.com