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C. Albert White’s federal survey history supplies the October 1853 Humboldt initial-point account and the broader history of rectangular surveying.
Record details#
The Humboldt Meridian account#
Page 117 identifies Colonel Henry Washington, Mount Pierce, and 6 October 1853 in the establishment of the Humboldt initial point. The discussion describes terrain and vegetation difficulties that affected the progress of surveying in the system.
The source is a historical synthesis published by BLM, not Washington’s original field notebook. Its claims can guide deeper archival research, but should not be presented as though this library has inspected every underlying nineteenth-century document.
Bibliographic source#
GovInfo identifies C. Albert White as personal author, the Bureau of Land Management as government author, and 1983 as the date issued. The catalog provides the full PDF. The BLM-hosted edition is an additional source location, although automated access may be restricted.
The Humboldt Meridian research center summarizes the local account. The field-surveying guide connects the history to the practical work of crews.
Citation#
Bureau of Land Management. A History of the Rectangular Survey System. 1983. C. Albert White; Humboldt account, p. 117. Original source. Accessed 8 September 2026.
Last materially updated and reviewed: 8 September 2026.