Survey of the 1899 Grand Teton Quad
November 1 2016: “ The Survey of the 1899 USGS Grand Teton Quad”. Presented by Todd Cedarholm, OnSight Survey.
Good maps are something that most of us simply take for granted when we explore Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park, especially in these days of GPS’s and Google Earth. But we did NOT always have these modern wonders, and even in the “good old days” of paper 1:24,000 topographic maps, where did they come from, how were they created? Back in the late 19th century creation of even rudimentary maps required enormous work and time.The initial quadrangle map of the “USGS Grand Teton Quad” was the result of an incredible effort that began from survey points near Sheridan and Ranchester, Wyoming.It then involved careful, exhausting work that extended from those points across the Bighorn Mountains and the Absaroka Mountain ranges. This allowed the early surveyors to begin creation of initial topographic maps here in the valley that we now call home.
Todd Cedarholm received a 2014 grant from the Wyoming State Historical Society to document this early work in what is today Grand Teton National Park and surrounding areas, and he will take us on a virtual tour of work by the intrepid, early mappers of Jackson Hole that then led to the first high quality map prepared by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Todd’s presentation will provide us with insights into early work in Jackson Hole and into the maps, that we so readily take for granted.