Missouri River Commission PLATTE Gene Thomsen
Triangulation Station
1890
June 7, 2011
Triangulation station "PLATTE" is located on a high hill south of the Platte River and west of the Missouri River where the two rivers join just north of the city of Plattsmouth, Nebraska. Today the area is densely covered with trees, but in 1890 it was an ideal location for a monument in the Missouri River Commission network. An interesting aspect of this point is the cap on the pipe which is a bench mark cap that was changed to be a triangulation station cap. A chiseled "+" on the center nib and a triangle made from punch marks changed the cap into a horizontal point. Probing indicated that the lower stone is still in place, but the monument was not excavated to determine how closely the pipe is centered over the drill hole in the stone. The monument has been preserved despite just being missed by the construction of a road and now being in a residential yard.
Station "Platte" has become somewhat of a lawn ornament in a residential yard. Looking northwest.
The monument is preserved and being mowed around despite being an obstacle. Looking northeast.
View of the cap showing the markings to make it into a triangulation station.
Another view of the triangulation cap.
Close-up view of Reference Mark No.1 that was placed in 1947.
Aerial image showing the Missouri River to the east and Plattsmouth to the south.
Closeup of the area for the marker location.
Near the intersection of Deer Road and Pioneer Trail.
© Jerry Penry 2011
