Marking Irons used by GLO Surveyors
The term ‘marking iron’ to mark government corners goes back to at least 1831. They are mentioned in the 1851 Iowa and Wisconsin Manual and also subsequent manuals.
I read some early testimony in Nebraska where a settler testified that he observed the GLO stakes were marked with ‘marking irons’ to put figures on the stakes in 1881. He didn’t specifically say it was a branding iron, but I can envision the crew sitting around the campfire and marking the stakes ahead of time for the next days work.
Has anyone ever seen a ‘marking iron’? I assume they might have been Roman Numerals. So, if you ever come across a very small I, V, X, L, C, D, or M branding iron, it might have been used by a surveyor.
They still might have had the letters T, R, N, S, E and W.
TXXVN RXVIIW
T25N R17W
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