AMERICA'S SCHOOL TRUST LIBRARY · JUNIOR LAND DETECTIVE RECORD

Letitia Carson’s Soap Creek Place

Benton County farm, 1845–1856 · Soap Creek Valley, Oregon • Township 10 South, Range 5 West, Section 34 & DLC #59

SURVEY BIRTHDAY

1854

July 11, 1854

🌲 Step 1: The Land Today & Lidar

Laser ground scans [Lidar] strip away tree leaves and branches to reveal the original 1845 wagon road running along the creek terrace, a homestead bench, and cattle ditching.

Soil: Prime Abiqua and McAlpin silty clay loams on the creek bench—the richest farming ground in the valley.

✈️ Step 2: The 1936 Sky View

Without seasonal fire or grazing, Douglas-fir seedlings quickly seeded into the open grass after 1940, creating the modern forest you see today.

Earliest biplane flight: 1936 aerial photography.

📐 Step 3: First Survey & Witness Trees

Surveyed by Dennis Hathorn using a 66-foot iron chain.

Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) (30 inches): 28 links (18.5 feet) blazed [Verified GLO/ORWW Record].
Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) (24 inches): 125 links (82.5 feet) blazed [Verified GLO/ORWW Record].

🏛️ Step 4: First Legal Patents & Schools

First Claim: David Carson, Donation Land Claim #59 (320.0 Acres)

School Trust Section: Section 16 & 36 perpetual public education endowment.

Letitia Carson Historical Note: Settled Benton County farm (1845–1856); successfully sued in Benton County court (1855–1856) winning $300 back wages and $1,200 for cattle; filed Douglas County homestead in 1868 and earned 1869 federal Homestead Patent ORRAA 008939 signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. Research by Dr. Bob Zybach / ORWW / OSU.

Student Detective: _________________________________

School / Class: _____________________ Date: _______________

Official Certified Land Record · kids.yourlandhistory.org