State Historical Society of Iowa

Surveyor Letter from Messers, Hendershott and Minor in Keokuk, Iowa, September 30, 1850

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Courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, 30 September 1850

Description

This letter was a report from surveyors commissioned by the U.S. Supreme Court to confirm a boundary line between Missouri and Iowa.

Full Transcript of Surveyor Letter from Messers, Hendershott and Minor

Transcribed Excerpts from Surveyor Letter from Messers, Hendershott and Minor

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Using evidence from the text, give two examples of ways that surveyors’ lines in the 1800s could be lost.
  • According to the text, how did the surveyors in 1850 try to prevent confusion over their line in the future.
  • According to the surveyors, what was wrong with John Sullivan’s line?