Subject: Re: worlds most perverse boundaries<br/>
Date: Oct 17, 2002 @ 07:10<br/>
Author: acroorca2002 (&quot;acroorca2002&quot; &lt;orc@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-1632710477">--- In BoundaryPoint@y..., &quot;acroorca2002&quot; &lt;orc@o...&gt; wrote:<br/>
<blockquote><span title="ireply"> &gt; according to the saskatchewan land surveyors association<br/>
&gt; nobody knows why the original manitoba west line of the <br/>
 </span></blockquote>1880s<br/>
<blockquote><span title="ireply"> &gt; which has become the contemporary mbsk boundary<br/>
&gt; was produced in the peculiar stepstair configuration that is has<br/>
&gt; & which is probably a familiar conundrum to most map gazers<br/>
&gt; running as it does first northward from the american border <br/>
&gt; then zigging inexplicably westward a bit <br/>
&gt; then zagging to the north again <br/>
&gt; then west<br/>
&gt; then north<br/>
&gt; etc etc etc<br/>
&gt; for about 11 zigzags in all if i recall correctly<br/>
&gt; rather than in a single straight due north line<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; but it may be a bit easier to explain why another old conundrum<br/>
&gt; the 1668 maryland virginia survey line<br/>
&gt; that was definitely supposed to run due east <br/>
&gt; at the latitude of the potomac mouth <br/>
&gt; across the eastern shore of the chesapeake <br/>
&gt; from pocomoke river to the atlantic <br/>
&gt; actually runs more than 5 degrees north of east  <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; so can anyone account for either of these anomalies<br/>
<br/>
 </span></blockquote>ok i can tell everybody gives up<br/>
so <br/>
the correct answer to the 1668 mdva anomaly <br/>
is that the surveyors used only a magnetic compass <br/>
& the local declination error wasnt immediately noticed <br/>
nor was it ever corrected<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
& my guess about the 1881 mbsk enigma<br/>
is that the survey team was likely to have comprised at least a <br/>
few of those wild & crazy manitoba expansionists <br/>
known as the metis<br/>
a mixed blood people whom the crees also called by the name<br/>
their own boss<br/>
or<br/>
the people who own themselves<br/>
<br/>
& tho commissioned to run the line only due north<br/>
they must have gotten drunk periodically<br/>
most likely once every week on payday <br/>
judging from the looks of the fairly regular offsets<br/>
when they couldnt resist an occasional freelancing to the west<br/>
in the name of a greater manitoba<br/>
nor could they be resisted by any of the non meti commissioners<br/>
acting on behalf of the federal government<br/>
until everyone sobered up the following morning<br/>
at which point the line could then be expected to resume its <br/>
properly northward progression<br/>
<br/>
just another guess <br/>
but i havent heard a better one<br/>
<br/>
m</div>