• Thursday-What'sUP July 24 - 10:34 pm

I'm curious to know how many folks that make the drive along M-26 to Copper Harbor make a stop along the way to explore the Eagle Harbor Marina? If you're a boater heading to Isle Royale, this is actually the shortest distance across the Big Lake to the Island, but there are a number of interesting things around this Keweenaw County location, too, as Paul Roberts recently discovered. The first oddity is one you just can't miss... yes, that's a tree in the middle of the road that leads into the marina. There's another tree as you head into the parking area, that at first glance looks like any other larger pine tree, but when you get a little closer, you spot a big old knarly knot surrounding the trunk.

Paul also did some exploring along the shoreline by the marina, too. That's where he came across the survey marker above, along with the sign telling people not to disturb it. I have no clue as to why this marker is there and I'm counting on one of our Pasty Cammies to come up with the story behind the National Ocean Survey Bench Mark.

Very interesting. I find the tree just the right shape for Christmas next year. Wonder why you can't find 'em that way in the tree sales yard when looking for one for the living room, knarled trunk and all.

To answer Mary, I do!

as soon as i saw the first pic loading I knew exactly where it was. ;-)

That tree has character, we need to explore there too. Work really gets in the way of those fun things! Sure hope someone knows the point of that marker I'm curious too, don't even know what Geodetic means.

A link regarding benchmarks. I also found one link which sold them!

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/2000/00_06_15.html

That first picture is of Keweenaw Co's. concession to divided highways. They had to have at least one. Be it a short one. Well designed too. Never had an accident along that stretch either. At least not yet that I know of.

And that tree in the middle of the road is our state tree, the White Pine!

Cool! A picture of my dog run.

I also knew where the first picture was from while loading. Spend many evenings there when in Eagle Harbor.

Ahhh....there's nothing quite so good for the head as pine trees and blue water.

I remember scuba diving out in the big lake offshore of the point the marina is on. Probably close to 80 foot visibility that day; so clear it felt like we were flying.

Mary, didn't you mean to say the tree had a gnarly gnot? We spent our honeymoon in 1972 at the Lake Breeze there. Saw the northern lights from our hotel window.

Neil...sounds like your dog made a few bench marks on its own.

The benchmark is really interesting because of that sign. A lot of of land (USGS) benchmarks are lost because they get covered over, or because they're destroyed (one was "the top of the Quincy #6 shaft house"... which burned decades ago!). I'm glad that this sign is there to keep this one protected.

Brock and I drove to this spot just last October when we were up there. We just wondered where the road led and thought maybe there was more down the road. We took pictures of this tree and the Marina as well. Loved it!

~Deb

Actually the above sign is in Eagle River over by the Five Mile Point Rd and M26 junction where by the way there is another survey marker dated 1996 I think. The one in Eagle Harbor that I found was very much by accident. Had I not looked down exactly where I was I would never have seen it. This marker needs no sign as there is no sign it's there! A sign would only bring undo attenton to it. Anyway, the marker is "buried" using concrete (I think) in a stone on the beach. It was more a large rock actually. I can tell you exactly where it is too. Beeline from that marker is the lighthouse and the bouy. For those math people its literally a perfect triangle of sorts. Pretty amazing how they do that. Not a math person myself. I'll tell ya what though. That was the last thing I expected to find on the remote shoreline of Lake Superior! Enjoy!

The original survey was in the early 1840's. The original contracor went under so it was taken over by Dr.Douglass Houghton. He was a geologist among other talents. He gave his crews training in mineral identification so he actually used survey for mineral exploration. This led to first finds of copper in area in 1844. The crews used chains for measurements. It is amazing the old meets and bounds decriptions are as accurate as the are. They are being corrected today where possible.
I met a flight crew from New Zealand last week at K.I. Sawyer airport. They were doing a terrain mapping survey from 400' above ground level from their plane. It is a lot faster than cutting trail through the woods and stretching two posts with a chain to map the U.P..

When I ran a historic site in Oklahoma, we had a benchmark in a closet. When I asked my employees about it, they told me a previous maintenance man didn't want it to be taken, so he dug it up to keep it safe! I have to say though, no one disturbed it in the broom closet.

There's a whole group of people who track these markers - check out www.waymarking.com . Each one found is registered. There are other ones listed in Eagle Harbor.

It looks to be one of many survey points that can be used by surveyors as a base point. I found it described as having been
stamped: 9039 E 1982
with the
MARK LOGO: NOS (National Ocean Survey)
and
DESCRIBED BY NATIONAL GEODETIC SURVEY 1996 (GAS)1.4 KM (0.85 MI) EASTERLY ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 26 FROM THE INTERSECTION OF FRONT STREET IN EAGLE HARBOR, THENCE 1.2 KM (0.75 MI) NORTHERLY ALONG EAGLE HARBOR MARINA ROAD, THENCE 0.1 KM (0.05 MI) NORTH ALONG A TRACK ROAD, IN A 16 BY 30-FOOT AREA OF OUTCROPPING BEDROCK AT THE WATERS EDGE, 29.0 M (95.1 FT) NORTHEAST OF THE ROAD CENTER, 4.7 M (15.4 FT) WEST OF A 10-INCH PINE TREE, 2.0 M (6.6 FT) SOUTH OF THE WATERS EDGE, AND 1.6 M (5.2 FT) ABOVE THE WATERS EDGE.
There is a lot more about it on the survey site if you plug in the lat. and long.
http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_radius.prl

Never been there. But that is one awesome looking tree trunk!!

http://www.geocachin
g.com/mark/

"Benchmarking" is a fun way to pass the time.