16 continued for early pioneers to hold many jobs and cover many miles in their lifetimes. Rufus Scudder Moore covered many more miles as our Lost Surveyor in this story. His obituary noted that he had surveyed on “all sides of the Rogue River and many parts of Klamath County” (November 7, 1931, Klamath Herald). Through the extensive research of Jerry Olson, we know that Moore surveyed far more parts of Oregon than that and he held numerous contracts with his uncle, Henry Meldrum and others. This is where Moore’s story takes a turn. According to the February 10, 1897 Times Herald in Burns, Oregon, survey Contract No. 637 was awarded to Rufus Moore and No. 639 was awarded to Moore and his uncle Henry. The two had already worked together for many years at this point, but turmoil was on the horizon. Unfortunately for Rufus, within two years of being named Surveyor General of Oregon in 1901, Henry Meldrum was removed from office and on trial for land fraud and Rufus would be swept up with him. In the fall of 1903, the trials began for conspiracy to defraud the government by fraudulent surveys and forged applications for surveys. Those indicted included Henry Meldrum, Surveyor General; George Waggoner, Chief Clerk; Rufus Moore, Deputy Surveyor; David Kinnaird, Examiner; John Hamaker, Notary; George Brownell (Attorney and Oregon State Congressman), Notary; and Frank VanWinkle, Surveyor and Notary. Meldrum, Moore, and Kinnard were all related to each other. Additional players in these trials ranged far and wide in Oregon social and political circles. In addition to the surveyors, the cast of characters included Senator Mitchell and his law partner Judge Tanner, both from Portland, and with the exception of Senator Fulton, the entire Oregon congressional delegation rested under the imputation of guilt. (February 15, 1905, Morning Oregonian) The trials were not regarding the quality of the surveying, but were focused on fraudulent applications, forged signatures, and made up entrymen. Mitchell and Tanner were indicted for perjury to protect Meldrum. Meldrum ultimately was convicted of 21 counts and sentenced to 34 months in McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington. Coincidentally, the infamous Robert Franklin Stroud, known as the “Birdman of Alcatraz,” was housed at McNeil Island about the same time as Meldrum. Moore had been accused of knowing of “forging the signatures of survey applicants, awarding and accepting a survey knowing that had happened, defrauding the government by making said survey, knowing that it was unauthorized because the land was worthless, and remaining silent The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 47, No. 3 The Lost Surveyor
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=