US Dept of Agriculture Flood Control Survey (1942) (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Out at a place built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in 1935/36. Found this while walking around. I think this was used for surveying changes to the land around where I am, as this area was dammed in the 1930s.

I've been searching for something specific to these but I think due to their age it might be lost to time.

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[-] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Found a old paper from 1968, University of Missouri College of Agriculture that mentions these survey markers being used to compute sediment levels in small reservoirs to predict loss of capacity, actual volume of water in a reservoir etc.

If I'm reading this right, this is one of a series of markers placed some arbitrary distance apart and across from each other, allowing topographical maps, accurate measurement of water levels and depth. Apparently cables were strung across the reservoir, pulled very taut, and then fathometers were used in addition to other surveying equipment.

Pretty neat if you like to nerd out on it.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/50701000/cswq-t6160-rausch.pdf

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

That’s pretty cool, great find! Did you just find it in a dry riverbed?

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I made another post about a building made by the CCC back in the mid 1930s, and this particular marker is at the top of a stair landing behind that building driven down into the surrounding rock.

There is another one I know of, sort of on the other side of a relatively large cove I was on earlier. Im not sure if these two particular ones are a pair, or are related to each other somehow.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Iirc, the YouTube channel half as interesting have a video about them

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I'm going to go look for that. Thanks for the tip. I see this particular one every time I come to this place to go camping and I've never bothered to look anything up about them, though I've seen this one a thousand times possibly.

this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2025

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