Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PIN FINDER

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1990

Materials

PLASTIC, METAL, LEATHER

No. Pieces

2

Height

8.4

Length

6.2

Width

9.7

Description

COMPASS IS BLACK WITH SMALL SILVER STRIPS AROUND THE TOP, AS WELL AS AROUND THE WINDOW. BEHIND THE WINDOW, ARE THE LETTERS "N.W, W." AND "N.W." SIGNIFYING THE THREE DIRECTIONS. THEY ARE ON A WHITE BACKGROUND, AS IS STANDARD WITH COMPASSES, A MAGNETIC POINTER ROTATES AROUND DEPENDING ON THE DIRECTION THE HOLDER IS STANDING. THE COMPASS FITS INTO A BROWN LEATHER CASE. THE LEATHER CASE HAS A LONG LEATHER STRAP WITH A METAL CLASP AT THE END (ACCESSION NUMBER ON THIS METAL CLASP). INSIDE THE CASE, THE FOLLOWING WRITING IS FOUND "HUGHES - OWENS CO., LTD SURVEYS AQUA INTRUMENTS CINCINNATI, O."

Subjects

SURVEYING & NAVIGATIONAL T&E

Historical Association

INDUSTRY

History

USED BY THE ST. MARY RIVER IRRIGATION DISTRICT. IN 2008, UNIVERSITY STUDENT AND GALT PROGRAM STAFF MEMBER DYLAN JOHNSON PARTICIPATED IN A UOFL APPLIED STUDIES PROGRAM, CONDUCTING RESEARCH WORK ON ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT (SMRID) OBJECTS DONATED TO THE GALT IN 2001. THE OBJECTS WERE ACQUIRED AS PART OF A GALT IRRIGATION EXHIBIT (STREAMS IN THE DESERT) IN 2000 AND WERE SEVERELY UNDER DOCUMENTED. JOHNSON CONSULTED WITH FORMER AND PRESENT ST. MARY’S IRRIGATION DISTRICT STAFF MEMBERS AS PART OF HIS RESEARCH. THE INFORMATION BELOW IS EXTRACTED FROM INTERVIEW(S) CONDUCTED BY JOHNSON. TO DETERMINE WHICH INTERVIEWS ARE RELEVANT TO THIS ARTIFACT, PLEASE REFER TO THE ARTIFACTS’ PERMANENT FILE (20010036001-11) AND THE RESEARCH PAPER’S REFERENCES. PIN FINDER USED BY SURVEYORS AND TECHNOLOGISTS WITH THE SMRID FROM 1965 UNTIL 1998. THIS SPECIFIC PIN FINDER WAS PERSONALLY USED BY DELOYD ELL OF LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA DURING HIS EMPLOYMENT WITH THE SMRID AS A TECHNOLOGIST. THE FUNCTION OF THIS PIN-FINDER WAS TO DETERMINE THE LEGALITY OF FARM PLOTS AND TO LOCATE MAGNETIC PINS IN THE GROUND. THE PINS WERE INSTALLED IN THE 1870S BY THE DOMINION LAND SURVEY BEGINNING IN MANITOBA AND SURVEYING WESTWARD, MARKING 1-SQUARE-MILE PLOTS ACROSS THE PRAIRIES. THESE WERE FURTHER SUBDIVIDED INTO QUARTER SECTIONS (STANDARD SIZES GIVEN TO SETTLERS OF THE WEST) AND THE PINS FOUND IN ½ MILE INTERVALS TO DEMARK AN AREA OF 60 HECTARES. THE DISTRICT’S TECHNICIANS SOUGHT OUT THE PINS TO DETERMINE BOUNDARIES OF FARMLAND AND RANCHES WHICH ALLOWED THE DISTRICT TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS CONSIDERED PUBLIC LAND AND WHERE THE DISTRICT COULD BUILD CANALS AND SERVICE ROADS. THE PIN FINDER WAS VERY EFFECTIVE AT LOCATING THESE PINS. DELOYD ELL MENTIONED A PARTICULAR INSTANCE WHEN THE PIN-FINDER WAS USED. WHILE IN MEDICINE HAT LOOKING FOR THE PINS AND DETERMINING QUARTER SECTIONS, IT BECAME APPARENT TO HIM THAT THE DOMINION LANDS SURVEY HAD INCORRECTLY SPACED THE PINS, RESULTING IN WHAT WAS CONSIDERED OFFICIALLY TO BE FARMER’S LAND TO BECOME TECHNICALLY NOT. THIS IS ON ACCOUNT OF THE METHODS THAT THE DOMINION LANDS SURVEYORS USED TO LAY OUT THE QUARTER SECTIONS. THEY USED A ROUND BOX WITH A DISTANCE METER WHICH SAT INSIDE A CHUCK WAGON AND AS THE WHEELS WOULD TURN THE METER WOULD RECORD DISTANCE. OBVIOUSLY THIS DID NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SLOPE OR THE FAT THAT THE WHEELS WOULD SLIP FROM TIME TO TIME.

Catalogue Number

P20010036009

Acquisition Date

2001-10

Collection

Museum

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