Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PLAIN TABLE

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1990

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

2

Height

67.1

Length

10.0

Width

66.9

Description

BOARD IS CONTAINED INSIDE A LARGE WOODEN BOX. THIS BOX HAS ON THE OUTSIDE THE LETTERS "CPRDNR", HOWEVER, DUE TO FADING, ONLY THE LETTERS "RDN" ARE READILY VISIBLE. THE TABLE INSIDE IS MADE OF LIGHT COLORED WOOD, AND SHOWS A GREAT DEAL OF WEAR. THE BOX OPENS AT THE TOP THROUGH A HINGED DOOR THAT IS ANGLED TOWARDS THE FRONT. THE HINGES ARE NOT ENTIRELY SECURE.

Subjects

DRAFTING T&E

Historical Association

PROFESSIONS

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. THIS TABLE IS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN USED BY SURVEYORS PRIOR TO 1939. THE PLAIN TABLE’S FUNCTION WAS TWO FOLD: FIRST, A TRANSIT (A PRECISION INSTRUMENT HAVING A TELESCOPIC SIGHT FOR ESTABLISHING HORIZONTAL AND SOMETIMES VERTICAL ANGLES) WAS PLACED ON THE SIDE OF BOARD FEATURING A THREADED METAL PLATE AND TWISTED IN. THE MOUNTED TRANSIT WAS USED IN THE FIELD TO VIEW AND RECORD THE LOCATIONS OF CERTAIN GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES (MOST LIKELY TOPOGRAPHY) IN A LANDSCAPE AS WELL AS RUN LEVELS. A SECOND FEATURE OF THE PLAIN TABLE WAS A DRAFTING BOARD WHICH WOULD BE USED IN THE FIELD TO CREATE A TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP OF THE SITES THAT HAD BEEN SHOT WITH THE TRANSIT. THE FOUR LITTLE PINS WERE USED TO HOLD DOWN THE DRAFTING PAPER. THE REASON THE LABEL ON THE FRONT IS CPRDNR ON ACCOUNT THAT IN 1912 THE CPR’S DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TOOK OVER MANAGEMENT OF THE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, OPERATING IT UNTIL 1947. IT IS BELIEVED, THEREFORE, THAT THE PLAIN TABLE ORIGINALLY DATES TO SOMETIME BETWEEN 1912 AND 1947. THE IRRIGATION DISTRICT PERFORMED ITS OWN SURVEYING DURING THIS PERIOD (AND STILL DOES TO THIS DAY). THE BOARD WAS NO LONGER IN USE BY THE TIME DELOYD ELL, INTERVIEWED BY THE GALT IN 2008, COMMENCED HIS WORK WITH THE SMRID IN 1963.

Catalogue Number

P20010036001

Acquisition Date

2001-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail