MT. OURAY (JL0672) Azimuth No. 1 - Chaffee County, CO - Azimuth Benchmarks on Waymarking.com

Found this reference mark accidentally while climbing Mt. Ouray. At first I thought it was the summit benchmark and then realized it was an azumith marker with an arrow and the text "MT. OURAY 1935 NO. 1". Unfortunately I did not look carefully enough to find the copper rod. See the following excerpt for the Documented History from geocaching.com.

01 Jan 1894 by CGS (MONUMENTED)
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1894 (WE) ON THE GREAT CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT OURAY, ABOUT 4 KILOMETERS IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION FROM MARSHALL PASS, A STATION ON THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE RAILROAD. THE STATION IS MARKED BY A CROSS IN A COPPER BOLT SET IN THE SOLID SURFACE ROCK. IT IS ALSO MARKED BY A DRILL HOLE FILLED WITH CHARCOAL AND PLASTER OF PARIS IN A BRICK EMBEDDED IN THE TOP OF A BRICK AND CONCRETE PIER BUILT ABOVE THE LOWER MARK. THE STATION IS SURROUNDED BY A RING WALL OF LOOSE STONES 4 FEET HIGH WITH AN INNER DIAMETER OF 11 FEET. FOUR REFERENCE MARKS, EACH CONSISTING OF A BRICK SET ON END AND MARKED WITH A DRILL HOLE FILLED WITH PLASTER OF PARIS, ARE JUST OUTSIDE THE WALL AT THE FOLLOWING DISTANCES AND BEARINGS FROM THE STATION--2.75 METERS (9.0 FEET), S 05 DEG 31 MIN W. 2.80 METERS (9.2 FEET) N 83 DEG 14 MIN W. 2.74 METERS (9.0 FEET), N 06 DEG 11 MIN E. AND 2.73 METERS (9.0 FEET), S 84 DEG 06 MIN E. MOUNT OURAY LATITUDE STATION, MARKED BY A BRICK AND CONCRETE PIER, IS 20.514 METERS (67.30 FEET) DISTANT N 08 DEG 23 MIN E.

01 Jan 1935 by CGS (SEE DESCRIPTION)
RECOVERY NOTE BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1935 (WRP) THE STATION OF 1894 WAS RECOVERED. A REVISED DESCRIPTION OF THE STATION FOLLOWS-- THE STATION IS LOCATED ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF MOUNT OURAY, A VERY PROMINENT PEAK ON THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. IT IS ABOUT 2-1/2 MILES NORTHEAST OF MARSHALL PASS, A STATION ON THE GUNNISON BRANCH OF THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD, AND 15 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SALIDA, A TOWN ON THE ARKANSAS RIVER AND THE MAIN LINE OF THE DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD. THE STATION IS ON COCHETOPA NATIONAL FOREST LAND AND VERY NEARLY ONT HE LINE BETWEEN SAGUACHE AND CHAFFEE COUNTIES. (THE FOREST SERVICE MAP OF THIS REGION SHOWS THE PEAK IN CHAFFEE COUNTY.) THE STATION IS IN THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF T. 48 N., R. 7 E. THE ORIGINAL BOLT WITH A CROSS CUT IN ITS TOP WAS RECOVERED AND A STANDARD STATION DISK STAMPED MOUNT OURAY 1894 WAS SET IN AN IRON PIPE FILLED WITH CONCRETE. THIS PIPE IN TURN WAS SET IN CONCRETE BETWEEN THE MASONRY PIERS WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY USED TO SUPPORT THE INSTRUMENT, AND WAS SET DIRECTLY OVER THE ORIGINAL MARK. NONE OF THE ORIGINAL REFERENCE MARKS WERE RECOVERED. THE LATITUDE PIER, MENTIONED IN THE ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION, HAS BEEN OVERTURNED AND MOVED FROM ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. REFERENCE MARK NO. 1, STAMPED MOUNT OURAY 1935, AND SET, IS SOUTHEAST OF THE STATION. REFERENCE MARK NO. 2, STAMPED MOUNT OURAY 1935, AND SET, IS NORTH BY EAST OF THE STATION. NO AZIMUTH MARK WAS SET FOR THIS STATION. HOWEVER, THE ROCK CAIRN ON ANTERO MOUNTAIN, A PROMINENT PEAK ABOUT 7 MILES SOUTH OF THE STATION, AND THE LARGE STACK AT THE OLD A.S. AND R. CO. SMELTER ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF SALIDA ARE BOTH CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM THE STATION AND SHOULD BE SATISFACTORY FOR AZIMUTH MARKS FOR THIS STATION A 4-FOOT STAND WILL CLEAR ALL LINES FROM THIS STATION. TO REACH THE STATION FROM MARSHALL PASS RANGER STATION ABOUT 1/4 MILE EAST OF THE RAILROAD DEPOT IN MARSHALL PASS GO NORTHWEST FROM THE RANGER STATION ABOUT 200 YARDS TO THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF A FENCED-IN PLOT OF GROUND. HERE WILL BE FOUND A TREE WITH TRAIL SIGN ON IT. FROM THIS POINT FOLLOW DIM TRAIL EAST ACROSS CLEARING ABOUT 1/4 MILE TO A POINT WHERE THE TRAIL BECOMES PLAIN AS IT ENTERS THE TIMBER. CONTINUE EAST ON TRAIL, CROSSING A SMALL VALLEY IN WHICH THERE ARE SEVERAL SMALL STREAMS OF WATER. THEN CONTINUE EAST ON TRAIL THROUGH TIMBER AND FINALLY OUT OF TIMBER ON THE EAST SLOPE OF THE MOUNTAIN. THEN FOLLOW PLAIN TRAIL IN A GENERALLY WESTERLY DIRECTION UP STEEP SLOPE OF MOUNTAIN TO ITS SUMMIT AND STATION. 2-1/2 HOURS WERE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE PACK LIGHT. IF HEAVY PACKS ARE CARRIED, THE 5 MILE TRIP AND 3200 FOOT CLIMB WILL TAKE ABOUT 4 HOURS. THE PEAK MAY BE SCALED BY GOING ABOUT 1/2 MILE EAST FROM THE RANGER STATION AND THEN GOING NORTH UP STEEP ROCKY SLOPE TO THE STATION. THIS ROUTE IS ABOUT 2 MILES SHORTER THAN THE TRAIL BUT IT IS MUCH ROUGHER GOING. ALL SUPPLIES AT SALIDA, WATER AT WELL 100 YARDS NORTHWEST OF RANGER STATION. MARSHALL PASS MAY BE REACHED FROM SALIDA BY DENVER AND RIO GRANDE WESTERN RAILROAD OR BY TRAVELING THE DIRT ROAD FROM MEARS JUNCTION WHICH FOLLOWS THE RAILROAD TO SHIRLEY AND THEN GOES UP PONCHA CREEK, LEAVING THE RAILROAD ABOUT A MILE ABOVE SHIRLEY, TO MARSHALL PASS. THIS ROAD WAS BARELY PASSABLE AT THE TIME THE STATION WAS OCCUPIED. IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE TO INQUIRE AT THE FOREST SERVICE OFFICE IN SALIDA CONCERNING THE CONDITION OF THE ROAD BEFORE IT IS TRAVELED.

Azimuth Condition: Good Your Directions: From the summit cairn about 20 feet to the southeast buried in a natural granite rock. Requires a 3-4 mile hike up steep terrain from the trailhead at Marshall Pass (see Parking Coords). Parking Coords: N 38° 23.691 W 106° 14.849 Station Link: [Web Link]

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