ROW Mapping Case Studies The Older I Get, the Less I Know Alaska - PDF document

ROW Mapping Case Studies ”The Older I Get, the Less I Know… ” Alaska Surveying & Mapping Conference 2015 The Art of Historical Research… From survey to settlement and private ownership…

What happened before patent ? In Alaska, we often need to look at the history before settlement and private ownership… Palmer-Richardson Highway Excerpt from Map of Alaska, prepared by The American Geographical Society for The Alaska Road Commission, 1923 (Image from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey Historical Map and Chart Collection) Basis of Right of Way at Construction

Excerpt from Anchorage, Alaska quadrangle Edition of 1951, Alaska Reconnaissance Topographic Series (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection) Focusing on… Glenn Highway: Palmer to Chickaloon What evidence did we have to start with?  E xe c utive Orde r (E O) 9145, April 23, 1942  Ala ska Ro a d Co mmissio n Ma ps o f Pa lme r- Ric ha rdso n Hig hwa y (CRDOT &PF F ile s)  ROW Ag re e me nt with ARR fo r use o f the o ld ra ilro a d b e d  ROW De e ds fro m 2 ho me ste a de rs  A fe w ho me ste a d pa te nts re fe re nc ing ROW  F ie ld surve y da ta fo r b o th the Gle nn Hig hwa y a nd the ra ilro a d b e d

EO 9145 April 23, 1942 • Spe c ific BOP/ E OP • Se c / T wp/ Ra ng e ide ntifie d • Ma p No . 1877260 ARC Mapping E OP a t 1369+42.8 in Se c . 36, T 20N, R5E

ARR Permit ROW Deed Homestead Patents along the corridor  Mo st e ntrie s o c c urre d 1945 o r la te r  A fe w pa te nts c o nta ine d this la ng ua g e : E xc e r pt fr om Pate nt No . 1125771 to Jame s Austin Car r oll (Note : Ac t o f Januar y 27, 1905 e stablishe d the Bo ar d of Road Co mmissio ne r s for Alaska)  Ho w wa s the ROW e sta b lishe d?  Ho w wide is the ROW?

Field Survey Data De mo nstra te d tha t fo r muc h o f the a lig nme nt we st o f Chic ka lo o n, the Gle nn Hig hwa y wa s no t c o nstruc te d o n the o ld ra ilro a d b e d Why is this important anyway?  E nc ro a c hme nts within 100 fe e t e a c h side o f Gle nn Hig hwa y c e nte rline  Cha lle ng e s fro m pro pe rty o wne rs: “my pate nt do e sn’ t say anything ab o ut a hig hway ROW”  Ma ny ho me ste a d e ntrie s we re prio r to Aug ust, 1949 (PL O 601) Additio nal e vide nc e , if availab le , wo uld c o nfirm the b asis and width o f ROW…and he lp de fe nd it.

What evidence did we find in Alaska?  fro m the Ala ska Sta te Arc hive s, June a u Source: Alaska Road Commission maps and drawings Series 1380 What evidence did we find in Alaska?  Na tio na l Arc hive s (NARA), Pa c ific Re g io n (Anc ho ra g e ) Hig hwa y Co nstruc tio n a nd F unding Do c ume nts • Pa lme r- Ric ha rdso n Hig hwa y Re c o nna issa nc e Re po rt, Oc to b e r, 1940 • T e le g ra m fro m Co mma nding Ge ne ra l o f the Ala ska o rc e , Oc to b e r 1940 a ssig ns 1 st prio rity to this De fe nse F ro ute • Co ng re ss pro vide s funding April 1, 1941, c o nstruc tio n b e g ins in the summe r o f 1941 • 1941 a nd 1943 re po rts de sc rib e ro a d a lig nme nt in de ta il, o utlining whe re ro a d dive rg e d fro m o ld ra ilro a d b e d

What evidence did we find in Alaska? NARA, Pa c ific Re g io n (Anc ho ra g e ) ROW Co rre spo nde nc e Re q ue st fo r E O, June 11, 1941 ARC T aylo r to Go v. Grue ning , fo rwarde d to Divisio n o f T e rrito rie s in D.C. fo r ac tio n What evidence did we find in Alaska? July 12, 1941 re ply fro m Co mmissio ne r o f the Ge ne ral L and Offic e (CGL O) F re d Jo hnso n NOTE: Letter of January 20, 1939 discusses ARC’s authority to construct roads and appropriate ROW under Revised Statute 2477 (R.S. 2477). “This grant becomes effective upon the construction or establishing of the highway in accordance with the State or Territorial laws.” However, if ARC wanted the ROW noted to GLO’s land records, maps of definite location are required.

What evidence did we find in Alaska?  NARA, Pa c ific Re g io n (Anc ho ra g e ) a nd NARA, Wa shing to n, D.C. L a nd Pa te nt F ile s Excerpt, Status Clerk Report for BLM Serial Case File Anchorage 011066 from GLO Land Entry Files, NARA, Washington, D.C. No tatio ns o f ROW o n the Status Cle rk Re po rt c o ntaine d in e ac h ho me ste ad c ase file : Excerpt, Status Clerk Report for BLM Serial Case File Anchorage 010741 from GLO Land Entry Files, NARA, Washington, D.C. More questions than answers… Why did the CGL O c ha ng e his mind a b o ut the E O? Why wa sn’ t the a re a we st o f Chic ka lo o n inc lude d in the E O? Whe re is the ma p da te d Ma rc h 14, 1942, No . 1877260 “o n file in the Ge ne ra l L a nd Offic e ”? Wha t do c ume nt c re a te d the “re se rva tio n” o f April 10, 1942? Wha t is the sig nific a nc e o f 44 L D 513? Wha t do e s 1877260 “F ” me a n?

44 LD 513 notations I nstruc tio ns o f the Se c re ta ry o f the I nte rio r F o und a t: Vo lume 44, Pa g e 513 “L a nd De c isio ns” De c isio ns o f the De partme nt o f the I nte rio r in Case s Re lating to the Pub lic L ands o nline at http://www.do i.g o v/so lic ito r/de c isio ns.html 44 LD 513 notations So me time s re fe rre d to a s a 44 L D 513 ROW – b ut it is no t a ROW a t a ll…  I t is a pro c e ss use d b y GL O a nd BL M to no te the e xiste nc e o f a fe de ra lly c o nstruc te d fa c ility o n the pub lic la nds  Re q uire s a ma p o f de finite lo c a tio n  No ta tio n is ma de o n the la nd re c o rds a nd in pa te nts using spe c ific la ng ua g e e xc e pting the fe de ral fac ility o r impro ve me nts  Pro te c ts a nd re se rve s the c o ntinue d use a nd ma inte na nc e o f the fa c ility a fte r la nd pa sse s fro m fe de ra l o wne rship

44 LD 513 instructions T he no ta tio n itse lf do e s no t c re a te a n inte re st in la nd – it is no t a n e a se me nt. (Se e Appe al o f Do yo n, L imite d, 87 I .D. 480 fo r an e xc e lle nt disc ussio n o f the histo ry o f 44 L .D. 513) But we kno w tha t ARC a ske d fo r a n inte re st in la nd – a ROW - fo r the e ntire c o rrido r o f the Gle nn Hig hwa y. Cle a rly, we ne e d to find F ile No . 1877260 fo r the a nswe r… Where is Misc. File No. 1877260? Q: I n 1942, who ha d the a utho rity to o rde r the 44 L D 513 no ta tio n o n Anc ho ra g e Distric t Re c o rds? A: T he Co mmissio ne r o f the Ge ne ra l L a nd Offic e in Wa shing to n, D.C. As the o rde r ha d o rig ina te d in Wa shing to n, D.C., the se a rc h turns to GL O re c o rds a t o ne o f the NARA lo c a tio ns in the a re a . Afte r se ve ral faile d atte mpts to find the file at NARA thro ug h pho ne and e mail re q ue sts, I hire d a re se arc he r spe c ializing in DOI re c o rds.

Misc. File No. 1877260 – Finally… Na tio na l Arc hive s, Wa shing to n, D.C. RG 49, Re c o rds o f the Bure a u o f L a nd Ma na g e me nt Misc e lla ne o us L e tte rs Re c e ive d, 1910-46 E ntry A1, 2009 F ile 1877260, Co rre spo nde nc e , June 11, 1941-July 26, 1944  Co nta ins a c o mple te re c o rd o f the e sta b lishme nt o f the ROW o f the Pa lme r-Ric ha rdso n Hig hwa y a s we ll a s the ma p o f Ma rc h 14, 1942 Misc. File No. 1877260 – what’s in it? • DC ve rsio ns o f le tte rs fo und in RG 30 re c o rds in NARA Anc h • tra nsmitta ls fo r ma ps pre pa re d b y ARC • Me mo ra ndum fro m CGL O de ta iling a jo int GL O/ ARC c o nfe re nc e he ld in Oc to b e r, 1941, disc ussing the Pa lme r- Ric ha rdso n ROW a nd the sta tus o f the Ma ta nuska Bra nc h o f the Ala ska Ra ilro a d

Joint GLO-ARC conference, October, 1941 • ARC will furnish a ma p o f the g e ne ra l ro ute o f the Pa lme r- Ric ha rdso n Hig hwa y • ARC will fo llo w up with ma ps o f de finite lo c a tio n a fte r c o nstruc tio n • ARC info rme d GL O tha t a ROW re se rva tio n wa s a lso re q uire d fo r the se c tio n we st o f Chic ka lo o n Misc. File No. 1877260 – what’s in it? • F e b rua ry 13, 1942: me mo fro m CGL O to Div T e rrito rie s e xpla ining why the Pa lme r to Chic ka lo o n se c tio n, MP 5 to 31 will no t b e inc lude d in E O 9145