This is the northwest corner post on our property. My brother and I camped overnight back in May and placed the post markers using GPS. I suppose I talked a good bit about how big the property is, so the girls wanted to walk the perimeter and feel it for themselves. Those poor kids look abused. Get them back to the city!!!!
The unofficial survey was completed using two hand held GPS units and two trips with boots on the ground. I don't have plans to perimeter the property with fence, so this less precise survey method will suffice for my needs. I figure I'm within 15 to 20 feet of being spot on, thus, I will hold all development 50 feet inside the property lines and call it good. It took some time to calculate the coordinates, but with already owning the GPS units, the survey price was right!
Finding land for sale in Montello is easy enough on the internet. However, actually locating the land for sale and attempting to put your feet on the soil is another story. The BLM came through and surveyed the valley back in the 80's (I think) and did a good job of placing corner markers on every square mile of land. However, these corners markers are cryptic at best if you are new to surveying. Additionally, your land won't have a traditional address to plug into Mapquest. You will receive a property description that reads something like this...
Section 21 Township 39N Range 69E, M.D.B.&M.; SE4 SE4 SW4
The above description is the only way to uniquely identify your property. Cryptic as it may appear, it actually is quite efficient and tells a surveyor everything they need to know to start work. At $1500 to $2500, they will be able to precisely locate your properties corners.
Let me know if you find yourself in Montello and can't find your land. I'm not a certified surveyor, but I can help you with rough GPS coordinates. More precise coordinates can be supplied after visiting your section of ground and establishing the section corners.
Hello Preston,I'm Augie from salt lake city, I found you through reading Geoff's blog, and I have been reading your blog and it is very interesting for what you are going to do with your land, the container idea is pretty cool also.I have land in Montello aswell and I Just wanted to say hello and that you have a very nice thing going out there. If I may add, I can see my little old trailer in your backhoe pics it's on the very foot hills above you and it looks like a spec from where you are at. Have you checked out the well known as the gamble well? The well was running last summer when the cattle was there. For me being on the land sure does bring a piece of mind to oneself and I try to get out there as much as possible so I can refuel myself for what is a head of me in my city life. Well I'll close for now, take care. Augie
ReplyDeleteHello Augie, I haven't heard anything about the Gamble Well, but I'd like to. Send me an email at
ReplyDeletem*ntell**ffgrid@gmail.c*m replace all "*" with "o".
Also, send me an email when you're headed out next and perhaps we can meet!