PLSO The Oregon Surveyor March April 2020

24 Vol. 43, No. 2 The Oregon Surveyor  | The Lost Surveyor Photo 3: Lonerock, Oregon church (c. 1898) with the town namesake sitting at the back door. This massive rock appears to be the only one of its kind for miles around. After a wonderful firework display over the Columbia River, it was time to hit the road. Although the maps for this trip say the drive time is estimated to be nine hours, that amount of time would never allow getting out of the car. Photography, roadside attractions of all kinds and lots of history make this a multi-day trip. “Ghost Town” is a bit of a misnomer depending on the picture ginned up in your mind. First and foremost, the people living in some of these tiny locales probably take offense to the term, however, compared to most small towns it might be fitting nonetheless. Kent, Shaniko, Condon and Lonerock kickoff the drive through miles of wheat fields. Leaving Condon, this Lost Surveyor got slightly distracted and embarked on a detour to pay homage to the family of one of our PLSO founders, Bert Mason, Jr. Located on a low hill overlooking Ione, Oregon is the family gravesite of the Ma- son family. While Bert’s final resting place is elsewhere, this brief visit brought back memories of traveling to many Board meetings together and hearing of his ad- ventures growing up in Ione and his life through war time, peace time and survey- ing. Those were some of the best times I spent on the PLSO Board. (Photo 2) Photo 2: PLSO Founder Bert Mason Jr.’s family plot at the Ione, Oregon cemetery.