AMERICA'S SCHOOL TRUST LIBRARY · JUNIOR LAND DETECTIVE RECORD

Corvallis, Oregon (Marys River & Willamette)

Heart of the Valley · Benton County, Oregon • Township 11 South, Range 5 West, Section 35 & DLC #53

SURVEY BIRTHDAY

1852

September 8, 1852

🌲 Step 1: The Land Today & Lidar

Lidar laser scans reveal ancient river channels where Marys River enters the Willamette River.

Soil: Rich Willamette and Chehalis silt loams.

✈️ Step 2: The 1936 Sky View

Streetcars and rail lines connected downtown Corvallis to surrounding farms.

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) (22 inches): 35 links (23.1 feet) blazed [Historical Example].
Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia) (16 inches): 50 links (33.0 feet) blazed [Historical Example].

🏛️ Step 4: First Legal Patents & Schools

First Claim: Joseph C. Avery, Donation Land Claim #53 (640.0 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