PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January/February 2020

24 Vol. 43, No. 1 The Oregon Surveyor | The Lost Surveyor Next, a trip to the top of Mt Douglas led to the discovery of Geodetic Reference Mark #11703 at the top of the mountain. While the views of Victoria are supposed to be tremendous the fog and rain left everything to the imagination. I imagine it would be a great day of surveying to occupy this mark on a clear day. (Photo 1) The third day on the island, we drove the Pacific Loop Drive which is a four-hour drive exploring the south end of Vancou- ver Island. Not surprisingly, its much like any drive inwesternOregonwith flora and fauna undiscernible from home. South of Port Renfrew and a short walk from a parking area brings you to the Sheringham Point Lighthouse on the southwest shore of the island. Tucked neatly at the base of the lighthouse is the 1912 era Shering- hamPoint ReferenceMark. This reference mark is the result of the 1908 Treaty be- tween Great Britain and the United states agreement on the boundary between Canada and the U.S. The treaty provid- ed for the resurvey, remonumentation, and maintenance of the entire length of the international boundary. The text on the plaque reads “Turning Point II of the Canadian and United States Boundary between the 49th Parallel and the Pacif- ic Ocean is 11170.4 meters S 37°10’49”W of this monument (North American Da- tum of 1927).” Just as with Mt. Douglas the view is likely spectacular on a clear day. This reference monument connects with the monument at Pillar Point on the Washington side of the channel, which I visited in 2017 (photos 2,3,4) . What about that potential lingering con- troversy? The 1844 boundary dispute and U.S. presidential election rang loudly with the slogan “54-40 or fight!” Although the presidential campaign that year held threats of war over the boundary, cooler heads prevailed after the election. Those negotiations resulted in The Oregon Trea- ty of 1846 and the international boundary between the countries was established at the 49th Parallel. A few quirks came from that negotiation. First, the British did not want to give up claim to Vancou- ver Island since it had already become a well-established port of call with ex- tensive development taking place by the Hudson’s Bay Company. As a result, the boundary leaves the parallel east of Vancouver Island and follows the main channel to the Pacific Ocean thus leav- ing all of the island in British and now Canadian possession. Photo 1: Reference Mark at the top of Mount Douglas looking south towards Victoria Photo 3: Sheringham Lighthouse on the southwest shore of Vancouver Island. Washington State and Pillar Point in the distance Photo 2: Reference Mark #2 at the base of Sheringham Lighthouse