Mapping the District’s Future - Cartography

The United States Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District Real Estate Division has several antique survey instruments on display. Metal measuring tapes were a critical tool in surveying for over a century, bridging the gap between ancient chains and modern electronic distance measurement. They were primarily used for their durability, precision, and reliability. A surveyor uses a graduated rod called a leveling rod or staff held vertically on a point. The reading on the rod tells them the height of the line of sight above or below a given point, thus enabling the ability to create contour lines on a map. Thus, the ability to create contour lines on a map. Compasses were the GPS of their day, a revolutionary tool that enabled the systematic mapping and division of land. While its role in creating precise legal boundaries has been superseded by modern equipment, its principles of direction-finding remain fundamental, and its simplicity ensures it will always have a place in a surveyor’s kit.