C Albert White - Portland, OR - Dedicated Benches on Waymarking.com

Located in Willamette Stone State Park are three dedicated benches surrounding a very historic spot known as the 'Willamette Stone' from which the entire state of Oregon and southern Washington was platted out into townships in 1851. From property lines to easements, every land survey in Oregon and Washington has been determined in reference to the Willamette Stone. The original stone was vandalized in the 1980s and replaced with a circular metal disk and accompanying commemorative plaque. One of the dedicated benches contains the name 'C Albert White' created with metal letters embedded into the stone bench.

After doing some online research I found out that Charles Albert White was a prominent surveyor in Oregon. He was born in Minnesota and at the age of 19 took a job in California as a chain man and record keeper for G.L.O. survey parties. After a term in the military serving in the Army during the Korean War and further education, he eventually got his surveyors license #2563. During the next 12 years Al gained extensive experience surveying public lands in Oregon. While teaching at the University of Portland (1970-75). He was also an author and published three books. His first book was titled A History of the Rectangular Survey System where set his sites on affirming the history of the rectangular survey. His book covers 38 Principal Meridians covering each initial point with a history taken from the field notes and other sources. There is also a photographic section showing his personal visit to each point. His second book was titled Initial Points and is an in-depth look at the points across the United States where the original surveys began. His thrid book was titled A Casebook of Oregon Land Claims and is the most important study of Donation Land Claims ever put together.

Charles White died July 12, 2007 at the age of 81. He is interred in Saint Anthony Cemetery in Tigard, OR.

You can purchase any of his books by clicking this link.

Where is this bench located?: Willamette Stone State Park Who is this bench honoring?: C Albert White

Visit Instructions:
To log this waymark you can take a photo of the entire bench. You may have yourself (Sitting of course) or your GPS in the photo. A photo is not required, but encouraged.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   10/28/2017 SpockProf visited it