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Wisconsin-Michigan State Boundary Mile Post Zero At The Southwesterly Shore of Lac Brule Lake By: William C. Rohde, Wisconsin Land Surveyor Email: wrohde@new.rr.com In June of 1847, U.S. Deputy Surveyor William A. Burt began the original survey of the state boundary line from the center of the Brule River channel at its outlet from the lake and thence meandered along the southwesterly shore of the lake approximately 700 feet to a 12 inch diameter Fir he had noted as the corner point on the lake shore from which a straight line was surveyed as the state boundary northwesterly to a mid-point lying between Middle and South Islands in Lac Vieux Desert lake, with scribed wood posts set and referenced at one-half and one mile intervals and at meander corners on the shores of intersected lakes. Burt referenced the Fir corner point tree to a 10 inch diameter Spruce at N43°W 47 links and to a 14 inch diameter White Pine at S17°W 68 links. As evidenced by Burt's notes, the foregoing Fir tree corner was intended to be the zero mile point for the state boundary line northwesterly from Lac Brule lake and that the state line boundary southeast would be the meandered shoreline of Lac Brule lake to the center of the Brule River outlet as surveyed by Burt and affirmed by a joint resurvey in 1928-29. Burt further noted an 18 inch diameter Tamarack tree at the terminus of his first meander line N70°W 1.50 chains from the center of the Brule River channel, which he "faced and marked State Boundary", and that the zero mile point Fir tree was located at "a trail and landing for canoes on the South west side of a small cove on the west side of."(Lac Brule lake). Previously in 1840, during a state boundary reconnaissance survey by Captain Thomas J. Cram, a treaty between the U.S. Government and Ojibwa Tribe Chief Ca-sha-o-sha was scribed on birch bark at a meeting site on the bank of Lac Brule lake near a Tamarack tree, called the "Treaty Tree". During his state boundary survey, Mr. Burt also reportedly met with the Ojibwa tribe at the "Treaty Tree", commonly referred to since to be the 18" Tamarack that he had faced and scribed, but which is now marked by a capped concrete monument, as the blazed and scribed Tamarack stump was removed and is now displayed in a museum at Marquette, Michigan. In 1928 and 1929, during his contracted resurvey of Burt's original state boundary line, Earl G. Harrington notes that no evidence of the zero point Fir corner tree or bearing tree references noted by Burt could be found. However, Harrington notes that the stump of the Tamarack meander tree noted by Burt was found to be 30 inches in diameter, 5 feet high and was marked on the SE face: "W.A. Burt June 7 1847 State Boundary". Harrington also further noted, "A concrete base, 3 by 4 feet, 18 inches high, has been built around the base of the tamarack stump. In the center of this concrete base a regular metal tablet is set..20 inches S.70°E. of the center of the stump. From this stump it is 12 feet to the actual edge of the (lake) water and 99 feet (1.50 chains) to the center of the Brule River." Employing an adjusted traverse of the original meander courses by Burt thru the center of the found Tamarack stump, Harrington reestablished the zero mile corner point noted by Burt, which Harrington noted now fell about 6 inches into the lake from the actual shoreline of Lac Brule lake. Therefore, a new zero mile corner point was noted by Harrington on the original state boundary line to mile corner 1/2 at 17.5 feet Northwest from Burt's reestablished corner point, so as to be "on safe ground and on the actual shore of Brule Lake". At the new "mile corner No. 0" designated by Harrington, a standard 6 inch square top, 12 inch square bottom, 30 inch long concrete monument was set in a 3 foot diameter concrete and stone base built up to within 4 inches of the top of the monument upon which a standard metal tablet was affixed and marked accordingly. Harrington further noted that Burt's original state boundary line to mile corner 1/2, reestablished from Burt's original bearing trees, measured at 39.785 chains on a true bearing of N 59° 31'W from the new "mile corner No. 0" monument; such monument also commonly referred to since as "Mile Post Zero". In August and September of 1942, during a retracement survey by the U.S. General Land Office of a portion of subject state line boundary, the latter concrete monument by Harrington was found undisturbed and apparently undamaged by Cadastral Engineer Guy R. Veal and accepted as "mile corner 0" at the "beginning of the land boundary between the two States (Wisconsin and Michigan) westerly from Brule Lake". On July 24, 1964, the U.S. Forest Service, in cooperation with the adjoining states, dedicated newly erected historical signs at the Treaty Tree monument site and at the Mile Post Zero monument site, both accessible by a walking trail from an improved picnic area maintained by the U.S. Forest Service, about a 10 chains (660') north, on the westerly shore of Lac Brule lake via local roads in Michigan. Direct vehicular access from Wisconsin is not convenienced, at present, as the Brule River must be crossed and adjoining private lands south thereof traversed on foot. In the summer of 1973-74 and 1989, the U.S. Forest Service, according to their published study report, conducted an archeological investigation of the 1840 treaty tree site. In the fall of 1999, this author visited the Treaty Tree and Mile Post Zero monument sites on the southerly shore of Lac Brule lake, now more northerly by several feet due to soils accretion since the 1847 and 1928-29 surveys. However, the existing Mile Post Zero concrete monument was found with the original metal tablet missing from its damaged top, and obviously in need of future restoration as such an important state boundary marker; at the Treaty Tree site a metal-capped concrete monument was found intact, whereupon I took several slides and photos of the visited sites. It was indeed a very humbling and tranquil experience to have frequented the historical sites and future visitation is most highly encouraged, by any surveying and mapping enthusiast, so as to become inwardly inspired by and appreciative of its early significance to assert order upon the land. In February of 2000, I presented my historical paper on the controversial Wisconsin-Upper Michigan state boundary surveys by invitation to the Michigan Society of Professional Land Surveyors, at their Annual Seminar in Sault St. Marie, Michigan, during which I projected the slides I had taken previously at the historic Mile Post Zero and Treaty Tree sites, and recommended that a joint venture be undertaken in cooperation with the Wisconsin Society of Land Surveyors to upgrade the sites accordingly; more particularly the damaged Mile Post Zero monument. As a result, a cooperative effort by concerned surveyors from both States culminated in the unveiling of a new Mile Post Zero monument during a special ceremony at the historic site the morning of August 18, 2001, with John Burt, a direct descendent of William Austin Burt and local Ojibwa lineage Tribal Chief Richard McGeshick, Sr. as special guest attendees. The new monument is a concrete filled heavy-duty stainless steel pipe casing with an appropriately engraved bronze tablet in top provided gratis by Berntsen International, Incorporated of Madison, Wisconsin. Obviously, I as well as many other interested persons are very pleased with such a historically significant achievement. WCR/wcr |
