A recent article in The American Surveyor highlighted the importance of geography and accurate field measurements-in this case, for the drought-stricken residents of Georgia.

In 1818, a noted mathematician at the University of Georgia, James Camak was asked to identify the boundaries of Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee--notably the corner where the three states meet.

Unfortunately, Camak lacked then state-of-the-art surveying equipment and was forced to use a sextant and astronomical tables. Of those tables he said they "were not such as I could have wished them to be." Twice Camak marked the boundaries with a stone monument and twice he was incorrect.

"Present day, using modern mapping and measuring techniques, we now know that Mr. Camak placed the now recognized, established and accepted corner approximately 5600 feet (about 1.1 miles) south of where the Congressional Acts and the record description say it should have been placed. The original record location actually falls within the old bed of the Tennessee River, prior to the formation of the Nickajack Reservoir and its subsequent flooding. The Tennessee River actually cut into a corner of Georgia, much as I-24 [Interstate highway] cuts into the state at Wildwood today."

Had Camak placed the corner in the correct location, Georgia may have had a claim to the plentiful water supply from the Tennessee River, perhaps reducing its current drought conditions.

Read the entire article Surveyors Report: Georgia's Water Shortage and a Surveyor's Miscalculations by C. Barton Crattie, LS.

Learn more about the story in Professional Surveyor: History Corner: The Mystery of the Camak Stone, by Gregory Spies, PLS.

See how Surveyors are using modern mapping and GIS.